


The Masked Marauders

by cosmicoyote



Series: When Cats and Mice Play [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Betrayal, Caring, Flirting, Give to the poor, Knights - Freeform, Multi, Multichat - Freeform, Rebellion, Rebels, Robin Hood-ish vibes, Romance, Secret Identity, Steal from the rich, bandits, small mentions of blood and wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote
Summary: France is in a state of chaos. The country is being ruled by a selfish queen who only cares about adding to her wealth instead of caring for her subjects. Meanwhile, there is conflict and even war with other countries that she continues to spend money towards in order to protect herself. Her poorest subjects are treated terribly by her knights as her tax collectors suck the people dry of their money.Along comes a rebellious yet mysteriously masked girl by the name of Multimouse who has been acting almost like a Robin Hood figure to her fellows: stealing from the rich to help the struggling poor. She knows she can only do so much for them, but she dreams of pushing her small acts of discord towards the wealthy into a full-out rebellion. She can't do it alone, though.A certain ex-knight has cloaked his identity with a black mask and carries an obsidian rapier. The country he once served loyally is being turned into a virtual wasteland by the greedy Queen Lila, so he's willing to join the mouse bandit in her rebellious antics.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Multimouse, Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle
Series: When Cats and Mice Play [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630588
Comments: 55
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The support for this series has been so overwhelming! Seriously, I can't thank you all enough for your love! I'm excited to start this little section! It's gonna be the first Multichat story with _multiple_ parts. ;3
> 
> Rated T for suggestive language and mild violence.

The forest was quiet save for a few twittering birds high in the trees. It was mid-afternoon, so the animals that ruled during the day were beginning to settle while the ones that took over at night had yet to stir.

A small fox emerged from the underbrush and sniffed at the dirt road marked by hundreds of carts that had made their journeys through this particular section of the woods over the years. The animal sniffed at a piece of bread that had long gone bad after being dropped by a traveler and then crushed by several wheels and horse hooves. In other words, not much was left.

The hungry fox snorted, not desperate enough to attempt to gnaw the ancient bread from the mud. It made to step off the path to search for food elsewhere-

The sound of rapidly approaching hooves had the fox freezing in place, ears perked forward and body going low to the ground. The ground shook beneath its paws as the carriage rapidly approached.

It was a massive and elaborate carriage pulled by two pure white stallions that moved in sync as they hauled their massive burden over the road.

The fox quivered, too scared to move with its ears flat against its head. The coach driver, undeterred, spurred the horses into a faster trot, and the pace picked up rapidly.

The last thing the fox would ever see would be the massive polished hooves crashing down on its small body - ending its short life right there...

But not if a certain local bandit had anything to say about it. Quick as a flash, when the horses' hooves were mere feet away, a grey blur swung in from apparently no where and scooped the furry creature out of harm's way.

The hooded shadow landed high in a tree above and held the quivering animal against her chest. "Close one, huh?" Soft bluebell eyes shimmered kindly behind a grey mask as they gazed down at the shocked fox. The animal was still too stunned to do much, so she carefully climbed down and lowered the fox to the ground. It took off the moment its paws hit the ground, but she was just grateful it hadn't bitten her in fright.

The local bandit, known as Multimouse to both friends and foes, crouched behind the trees as she resumed her watch of her original reason for being in this section of woods: the carriage.

She was dressed in a simple grey tunic and black leggings with charcoal leather boots. A smokey cloak rested on her shoulders with the hood to help hide her identity, but the mask was her trademark. The hood also could be a hindrance at times because she kept her hair up in signature twin buns to replicate mouse ears - earning her name. 

Of course, the all powerful Queen Lila had her own names for Multimouse, but she would prefer not to say those particular words out loud. Thinking about them amused her, which meant the queen felt threatened by her at least a little, but she had to be careful and not get too cocky.

Right now, the masked mouse bandit was calculating her jump. Judging by the size and decorative state of this particular carriage, someone important was riding inside. This wasn't the queen's; she knew that carriage from a distance and it was almost twice the size of this one with four times as many guards. This one only had two knights riding at the rear - both in armor and carrying heavy swords.

Narrowing her eyes, Multimouse calculated as she scaled a tree using her trusty whip. It was black with a tip dyed pink. She had thought about adding some pink to her mask, but the color just stood out. Only the richer people wore flashy colors. Even if she wasn't rebelling, the color would just make her more memorable and stand out.

She didn't want that - not with what she was doing.

The bandit smiled and then launched her whip across the canopy to a tree branch opposite her. She then jumped and tucked in her stomach muscles with her legs curling up to gain momentum. She launched herself across the road and then tucked in, doing a flip and simultaneously yanked her whip free of the branch.

She landed delicately on top of the carriage and smirked as one of the knights jerked his vacant, daydreaming gaze from the road ahead to her. He opened his mouth to shout, but she threw her whip and wrapped it around his arm. She pulled, and his heavy armor along with gravity did the rest. He fell off of his startled horse in a crumpled heap. If the carriage hadn't been pulled at a quickened pace, he could've gotten up and jogged after it, but there was no hope for a little while.

Multimouse turned on the next knight who by now had recovered from his initial shock. He drew his sword and shouted, "BANDIT!"

The startled driver looked back at the masked girl in terror then snapped the reins. The spurred horses nickered and began trotting to a near gallop.

Multimouse swayed and had to regain her footing and adjust to the increased speed of the carriage. She balanced herself then smiled and lashed her whip, smirking when the knight's eyes widened in recognition. "Multimouse!" fear overpowered his voice, but anger was in there, too.

"Thank you for the introduction," she told him sincerely. "But I must be getting along." Then she flopped down and rolled to rip open the carriage door. There was an indignant scream as she swung inside and nearly landed in the lap of a pompously dressed noblemen. He had graying hair, and his gut showed he hadn't missed a meal in his life. That angered Multimouse because she knew of many people, herself included, who had gone to bed with an empty stomach more than just a handful of times.

She scowled at him, but the man was not one to fight back. He screamed louder when all she did was reach over him and grab a leather bag that jingled happily and told her it was full of gold. She slipped it over her shoulder and then paused long enough to give him a mocking salute. _"Au revoir!"_ she told him with a grin before climbing back to the top of the carriage. 

The knight had spurred his horse to flank the carriage, and his heavy sword missed her legs by scant inches. She turned on her heel and drew a dagger from her hip that she only used if she needed to. She deflected the knight's blade then swiped at his hand, leaving a sizable but not major gash to his hand. He shrieked and dropped his sword, and she took advantage by leaping over both him and his horse.

When she hit the ground, she rolled and then sprang up, vanishing into the trees and green underbrush like she always did. The entire robbery took less than three minutes, and she had spent most of that time deflecting the rather incompetent guards. She would've thought with how often she was snatching from the rich people of France that they would have extra security. Not that she was going to complain or anything...

Multimouse reached her village before nightfall. She slowed her jog and breathed evenly for a few moments as she took a pull from her water skin. She was in excellent shape after being taught how to sword fight and swing on her whip like a grappling hook by her mother. Sabine Cheng had been a legendary warrior in her prime, and she had been a beacon of hope when France was in conflict with England nearly two decades prior. She had taught her daughter everything she knew before her death just a summer prior.

Doing her best to focus on the here and now and not painful memories, Multimouse slipped back into her village. After peering around the corner and seeing no tax collectors, she sauntered into the street. Several people called out to her smiled. She waved then made her way into a familiar seamstress shop.

It was warm inside, and Multimouse lowered her hood as she entered. She spotted a familiar blonde woman who was finishing a dress in the corner while her other creations were folded on tables or placed over busts made of wood. The shop smelled of wool and a touch of leather to go with the accessories of some of the more expensive pieces. Multimouse by no means lived in the poorest village, but her mentor was not about to sell to anyone of royal blood anytime soon. Thanks in large part to her own little thefts from France's most elite, her village was steadily recovering from Queen Lila's relentless collection of taxes.

"I'm back!" Multimouse removed her mask and was once again just nineteen year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Her mentor, Emilie, looked up and smiled brightly. "Thank the gods for that," she murmured as she shook out the dress she was finishing and put it aside in order to stand and embrace Marinette. 

"I'm always careful," Marinette murmured as she hugged Emilie back. She then pulled away and showed her the heavy leather bag that carried enough gold to feed the entire village for a month.

Emilie's eyebrows drew together. She worried for her apprentice with her risking her life to snatch gold out from under the privileged people's noses. The WANTED posters that had started appearing in the larger settlements nearby had not gone unnoticed by the seamstress. "Marinette," she began in a resigned tone.

The younger woman shook her head. "I'm fine. I promise." She hung her cloak on a peg near the door and slipped her mask into one of the inner pockets. She then took out her twin buns and let her midnight hair fall in curls down her back before she began finger combing them. "I think I took that from a duke visiting from Paris." She nodded at the bag as Emilie opened the stolen purse and widened her eyes at the contents. "He wasn't much of a fighter. I think he soiled his trousers when he saw me." She giggled a little.

Emilie fought a smile and lost. She giggled behind her hand as she hastily snapped the bag shut. "Marinette, we cannot be found with this."

"Don't worry," Marinette soothed her mentor as she pulled her hair back into a braid and tied off the tail with a leather cord. "I'll be spreading it out throughout the village then slipping into the one just east of the river." She bit her lip as she pulled a skirt on to hide her muddy boots and grey pants. She then picked up the dress Emilie had been working on sewing and began finishing it for her.

Emilie Agreste had taken Marinette under her wing after her mother's death. Despite being nineteen, Marinette was not married (nor did she want to be), and her mother had not tried to force her into it. Marinette's father had died when she was little of an illness, so her mother had been her primary caregiver, teaching her all she knew about sword fighting and mastering weapons women were generally discouraged from using. When her mother was killed, Marinette was left reeling. Despite being into swordplay and horseback riding, she had also held a love for making and designing clothes. Her mother, who was from China, had owned magnificent dresses in various silks that had been expensive. Marinette still had a few, but she had been forced to sell most of them in order to eat.

Emilie had lost her son around the time Marinette had lost her mother. He had been a little older than Marinette and had been a knight in Queen Lila's guard. Emilie and her son had lived in a neighboring town at the time, so Marinette only vaguely remembered him when she was small. He had been sent off to be a squire when he was approaching ten years of age. Emilie had not seen him since, but she could barely afford to feed them at the time. When he was offered a chance, she had sent him away so he would be better cared for. Last summer is when Emilie received a letter from the captain of the knights that her son had died in a brutal battle. 

She felt sad for Emilie, and the two women found comfort in one another. When Marinette demonstrated her talent for designing and sewing, Emilie had taken her on to help with her shop.

So, they were a broken but loving pair. Emilie was like a loving aunt to her, and she felt comfort in this. Marinette had never met her other relatives before. Her mother had said something about there being conflicts with her marriage to Marinette's father, so she had been disowned.

Marinette brought a subtle amount of gold to Emilie to help her purchase wool, sewing needles, buttons, and strips of leather to add onto other pieces. The shop next door made and sold shoes, so it was an easy partnership if either one needed material.

"Well, since you have... this..." Emilie looked at the coin bag as if it were an angry cat that was about to bite her if she got too close, "Would you mind going to the butchers and getting some lamb for tonight's stew?"

"Sure!" Marinette finished the hem of the dress and handed it to a bemused Emilie before slipping the bag over her shoulder and putting her cloak back on to conceal it. "Do you need anything else?" she asked over her shoulder.

Emilie was smoothing the dress down and checking for holes. She smiled a little. "Just potatoes. We have plenty of vegetables." 

With a wave, Marinette set out to purchase what they needed for that night's dinner.

After slipping a handful of fat gold coins to the butcher who was weak-kneed with gratitude, Marinette carried her purchase of lamb and a few potatoes. She contained them in a basket to make it easier to use her hands while she slipped into shop after shop and various homes. Some she talked to personally and dropped smaller bags of coins in their hands. Others she left in secret. A trusted few knew she was Multimouse, so she talked to them. The ones who were unaware were left secret donations to keep their businesses afloat or their families fed.

Whatever she could do, she was happy to help. It would be too obvious if suddenly the entire village could afford expensive silks, giant roasts, and enormous houses, so she gave out what she stole sparingly. She gave just enough for them to survive and than maybe a bit more to keep in their reserves in case she hit a dry spell. Marinette also didn't want anyone to go hungry, so she pitched in a little more here and there.

If there was one thing Emilie taught her, even as a young adult, it was to be kind whenever possible and appreciate what you had as long as you could live comfortably with it. Clearly, the rich took that to an entirely different level. One thing was for sure, their queen was not a kind person.

A couple around her age, Ivan and Mylène, raised cattle and had a larger piece of land at the village's edge. The only reason for such an expansive property was to keep the cows fed and able to move around. Cows lived longer and healthier lives when they weren't penned up in the mud constantly, so they used their land for their source of income. This unfortunately also made the cattle farmers a blaring target for the tax collectors.

"You're a blessing!" Mylène squealed as Marinette handed her a small pouch of coins, the last of what she had kept for her village. "We've been struggling after our last three calves died." 

Marinette remembered. One had died before it could be born, and the others had stopped breathing shortly after coming into the world. It was simple rotten luck. Their income relied heavily on them selling healthy calves at market and the milk the cows produced. Losing even one was a blow to their income.

Ivan smiled at Marinette as he fed their guard dog meat scraps from the butcher they sold their adult cows to. The dog could protect against thieves and wild animals, but the lost calves couldn't have been prevented.

"I have to get back to help make dinner," Marinette murmured as she sipped her tea, a thank-you from the kind couple. "Keep your heads up. We'll get through this."

As she left them, she couldn't help but feel cold at the prospect of their futures. France was in a delicate state because their queen was not only sucking them dry financially, but she was spending that money either on herself or on the multiple conflicts the country was involved in.

It was difficult to keep track, but Marinette knew that Queen Lila had started the skirmishes in England after refusing some sort of treaty. There was also bad blood with her and the Spanish King. She was almost sure they were related, but nobody could remember why they loathed one another. Their queen was not a popular person with anyone except the aristocrats of France and anyone willing to follow her.

Once she was home, Emilie started preparing dinner while Marinette resumed work on dresses they were hoping to sell at the larger market in the village north of them. Every weekend, the towns nearby gathered at a central location to sell their goods. It was the highlight of their week and when they made most of their income. There was only so much that could be made from your neighbors.

The clothes were simple but good quality. Marinette could speak from experience because her leggings had survived many washes after being stained in everything from mud to blood. Once, she even had the misfortune of landing in horse dung which had not only stained spectacularly before being cleaned but stunk something awful. Her tunic had been repaired before and had suffered knife slashes and rips from her catching it on branches and whatnot. 

Emilie made good clothing, but people often overlooked quality for vibrancy. The brightest color the clothes came in was white. Purple, blue, and pink were eye-catching colors but that sort of dye was more expensive. Even including leather pushed their spending at times. Marinette was trying to help by making more clothing to sell to make double the profit Emilie normally would with her own laboring hands.

When dinner was cleaned up, Marinette finished sewing a pair of pants and helped Emilie complete a final dress before turning in for the night. The women slept in the same room with beds on opposite sides. Marinette faced the door while Emilie's bed was closer to the window. After changing into their night clothes, Marinette snuggled under her blanket and looked at her mentor whose face was shadowed by the candle on their shared nightstand. 

Emilie was a few years younger than Marinette's mother had been, but she had a youthful face that let her pass for a woman in her mid-twenties. "Are you going to circle the roads tomorrow while I'm at market?" whispered the blonde.

Marinette bit her lip and tucked her loose hair behind her ear. "I will for a short while. The market will be an ideal place to disappear in if I need to duck away."

The older woman sighed. "If you must. Just be smart and don't bite off more than you can chew, Mari."

Marinette grinned. "I won't. Goodnight, Emilie."

"Goodnight, Marinette."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The early morning saw Marinette helping Emilie load her cart as their small, grey mare nickered sleepily. They had made a dozen dresses along with a handful of skirts and pants to sell. There was a separate bundle comprised of shirts that Marinette placed on top before tying down the protected merchandise.

Emilie moved to put her hand on the horse's leading rope while Marinette walked on the other side to keep an eye out in case anyone tried to steal from them. Ironic coming from her, she supposed, but at least they sold what they made to survive while the rich could just keep spending and spending while the lower class starved.

Her mentor was quiet during most of their journey. They were eventually joined by Ivan and Mylène who were each walking a calf. Both were healthy and trotting along with enthusiasm - nothing weak or sickly about them.

The candle maker in the village, Juleka and her partner Rose also walked with them. They, too, had a cart of their goods being pulled by a cream-colored pony. They made small talk, but the mood was generally hopeful.

"We're going to eat for the next week thanks to you, Marinette!" Rose said happily, her blonde hair tucked neatly into a scarf. Juleka nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad, Rose," Marinette murmured. And that was why she did what she did. So many people she knew would go to bed with empty stomachs. She knew personally how that felt. She never wanted these kind people to suffer ever again.

Queen Lila's tax increase had nearly costed most of them their land had Marinette not snatched the gold to pay off the greedy collectors. Losing what they had meant resorting to begging or crime which Lila punished severely. Many had been thrown in prison or hanged for crimes they were forced to commit to survive.

Which is why Emilie worried so much for her apprentice. If she were ever caught, she would be executed immediately. As the weeks had gone on and Multimouse struck over and over, the reward for her capture had increased little by little.

When they reached the market, Marinette helped Emilie unload their cart and display the clothes they had worked so hard to make. The shoemaker who lived near them set up beside them. He smiled in a friendly way as he laid out his shoes and boots. Selling side by side, they learned, was beneficial because people who had the money would look for both clothes and shoes. That was, of course, if that person could afford both.

The morning was slow, so Marinette circled around the market once to check out different merchandise. She saw gloves, saddles, and bridles being sold. She could use some good leather gloves... She made a mental note to come back. She also saw horses behind sold: everything from small ponies meant for short distance travel to enormous cart horses bred to haul massive loads. A stallion from the latter group chomped up a whole apple from her hands.

Marinette checked in with Emilie. She had made two sales - two shirts and one dress - so the dark-haired girl whispered she would return shortly before pulling on her hood.

"Be careful," Emilie hissed as her apprentice slipped into the woods.

She always was. Marinette couldn't bear to leave Emilie alone after all she had been through. As she made her way along the river, she stopped about a half mile from the market as she spotted a smaller and much poorer village than the one she lived in.

Many people here were sharing housing but unable to provide adequate food for every person. Many were in dirty rags. After slipping on her mask, she slipped among them and began passing out small handfuls of coins. A few fell on the gold greedily like starving dogs being thrown a bone while others stared at her like she was messing with them. Still others smiled gratefully and thanked her.

"Thank you, brave Multimouse. Thank you." So, a few knew her name.

She was just finishing up with a poor older man with a missing eye when she heard the rumble of hooves. Many people panicked and bolted into their houses as they scattered like sheep amongst a pack of wolves.

Multimouse ducked behind a shack and watched as four riders with one carrying Queen Lila's banner stomped into the village. The symbol for the queen's house was a peacock with its feathers spread out on a gold background. Many had made jokes that the Rossi house had the perfect symbol: they were flashy with their feathers but were otherwise not very useful. Peacocks were beautiful, yes, but they were so blaringly obvious, they made easy targets for predators. The look was for attracting mates, not surviving. Marinette thought that was amusing, anyway.

She carefully began backing into the trees, her eyes never leaving the knights on their horses. She knew the violence would start if any of the villagers disobeyed their orders. There wasn't much she could do. If there were only two... But no. She never killed. They would just gather reinforcements then come back to punish this already downtrodden village.

Multimouse was so busy trying to be quiet and not be seen by the Rossi house knights, she missed an obvious trap.

Her foot caught a trip wire, and she stumbled. She fell face first into a pile of leaves which immediately were snatched up by a buried net that closed around her. She let out a startled yelp as she was yanked into the air and hung suspended a good six feet above the ground, awkwardly contorted within the thick ropes that made up the net.

Ugh. Ugh! Ugh!

She was so stupid! These traps were meant for boar or even deer, but the trap setter would not object to handing over a wanted criminal.

What was her reward money again? Three hundred golden pieces? Maybe five hundred by now. She cursed and turned over, feeling along her leg for her dagger. All she had to do was pull it out and saw at these ropes until-

Multimouse blinked, staring down at a glimmer of silver below her. It took her panicky brain a moment to realize the very dagger she was digging for was currently lying very much out of her reach among the leaves below.

She cursed colorfully then squirmed to vent some of her frustrations. After a moment, she rested back and panted. Okay, she needed to think... Think think think. She could use her whip to try and snatch up her dagger. No... it didn't curl like that around something that small. Maybe if she could untie the top? That would be her best bet without help.

Multimouse could barely stand upright, but she managed to pull herself up by her arms and begin digging at the heavy knots. She wasn't making progress anyway, but then her foot slipped and she collapsed back in her original position.

She closed her eyes and tried not to panic to the point of tears. She would not cry! No, she wouldn't.

Emilie was going to freaking kill her. She groaned and rubbed at her eyes over her mask then leaned back, looking up at the canopy. Best case scenario? Someone, hopefully a friendly someone, would find her soon and cut her down. Worst case scenario apart from dying out here? Those knights finding her. Ugh.

That would be just great - the magnificent fall of Multimouse because she was stupid and clumsy and got herself caught in a net.

She was just contemplating whether or not Emilie would send a search party when she heard the snap of a twig nearby.

Multimouse sat up, on high alert and tense. Her eyes darted around, but all she could see were trees and fallen branches. She distantly heard birds, but then even they fell silent. The quiet was pressing and made her heart race nervously.

"H-Hello?" she called nervously. She may as well have signed her death certificate if those knights were in earshot, but she couldn't not call out in case someone friendly was looking for her.

Nobody answered.

She swallowed and gripped her whip for security, but it wasn't as if she could do much if someone showed up and tried to mess with her. She licked her lips and kept searching, swiveling her head around until-

Vibrant green eyes were suddenly staring right into hers. _"Bonjour, petite dame."_ purred a masculine voice.

Multimouse let out an unholy squeal that was quickly strangled when she remembered she wasn't sure if she wanted to let her presence known yet. All the same, she felt as if her heart was going to burst from her chest as she stared with widened eyes into amused emerald ones.

There was a man, a young man if she were any judge, hanging upside down and looking at her through the net. His face, like hers, was hidden by a mask, but his was inky black. His wild blonde hair hung down and pointed towards the ground as he gripped the net with his gloved hands and boots which appeared to be silver toed.

Multimouse blanked as the young man smiled at her. Something was hanging behind him, and she thought it was a whip like her own, but then he shifted, and she lost sight of it.

"Who... Who are you?" she stammered.

His eyes twinkled. "A friend."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I don't have many of those."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm here to help... if you make a deal with me."

She crossed her arms. "Why would I make a deal with you?"

He cocked his head like a curious cat spotting an insect he was debating on chasing. After a moment, he smiled toothily. "Because, well..." he plucked at the net. "You're just... _hanging_ around and not able to do much."

Multimouse groaned at his lame joke... but lame joke or not, he was right. She was stuck here. She took a bracing breath before exhaling. "Very well. What deal did you have in mind?"

He brightened. " _Meow_ -arvelous!" The stranger flipped and his legs swung down as he twisted. She grunted as his feet collided with the net and swung her outward. Now, he was right side up and gripping the net while his feet poked through the holes in the sides to keep himself in place. "So, I'm in need of a little... uh, sustenance." As he said it, she distinctly heard his stomach growling.

Now that his hair was no longer hanging down, she could see that two black cat ears were poking out of his golden locks. He wore a black cloak with silver fastening, and his entire outfit looked as if it were a mix of wool and leather. What was hanging below him was... a belt of sorts, but it was tied around his waist and hung down like... a tail?

She shook herself to snap out of staring at his odd costume. "So, you're hungry?" she asked.

He nodded, and she stiffened when his teasing expression changed to one of pleading. He even looked like a sad, starving kitten with his pitiful eyes.

Her soft heart won over her cautious brain. "Okay, so if you cut me down, you just want me to feed you?"

"Aaaand," he drew out the word which caused her to narrow her eyes again. "I want in."

She blinked. "I beg your pardon?" she asked, confused.

"I know who you are, _Mademoiselle_ Multimouse," he purred like he had before. He nodded at her twin buns and mask. "You have quite the reputation, and the price on your head..." He rolled his eyes dramatically and swung a little on the net. "Let's just say I have talents of my own. Allow me to prove myself." He looked at her hopefully.

For a long moment, she looked at him. On the one hand, a partner could cost her and get her caught. On the other... he could carry more than her and allow her to take more to share among those who needed it most.

She bit her lip then sighed deeply. "Alright. If you get me down, I'll feed you, and we'll see how you do." She frowned. "If you give me away, I'm leaving your black leather butt behind, and you'll deal with the Rossi knights _on your own_."

The masked stranger perked up. "Thank you! You won't regret this." He then scaled the net with the agility of a cat and braced with one hand while he dug at his hip with the other.

"What are you...?" Multimouse frowned up at him.

"Just a moment." Then he drew a rapier. It was a magnificent weapon: inky black at the handle and blade but gleaming silver at the guard.

Multimouse was so busy admiring his weapon, she missed the slash. The next thing she heard was the SNAP of the ropes, and suddenly she was falling. A sharp yelp was pulled from her throat as she hit the leaves hard.

It took her a second to recover before she snatched up her dagger and held it at the ready as the cat-like young man dropped down. He was smiling proudly until he saw she had her weapon drawn. His smile melted, and she could've sworn his ears drooped.

"You're not going back on our deal, are you?" he asked, sounding genuinely hurt.

Multimouse bit her lip then swallowed and sheathed her dagger. "No... but if you try anything funny, I won't hesitate to gut you."

He smiled slowly. "Fair enough."

Multimouse glanced around before sighing and holding out her hand, protected by a worn leather glove. "I'm... I guess to be safe, you should just call me Multimouse."

Her new companion held out his hand in return and enclosed hers. "Nice to meet you, Multimouse." He bowed over her hand unexpectedly and kissed the back of it, his green eyes lifting to meet hers. "You can call me Chat Noir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ball is ROLLING! I plan on the chapters being fast paced but hopefully not overwhelmingly so. I'm not sure how many chapters there will be but nothing monstrous. Just enough to squeeze in flirting, fluff, a dash of conflict, and a cute ending.
> 
> Also the dialogue is not 100% medieval like but this is just for fun, so less formal language will be used. Hope that makes sense!
> 
> As always, feedback and kudos are greatly appreciated. <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Chat's past, and some comfort before things go down. :P

Marinette wasn't sure how to react to the suave cat-like young man who was now serving as her companion. Partner? No. She wouldn't go down that route. She didn't need to expand the circle of those she cared about. Emilie, select villagers... that was it. Losing her mother had hardened her heart. She didn't want to feel that kind of pain again if she could avoid it. She knew if she ever lost her mentor, it would break her, but they cared for one another.

Chat Noir was striding alongside her, seeming at ease with the way he carried himself. Multimouse on the other hand was not feeling as comfortable. What if he turned on her and knocked her out with a rock or the butt of his sword? He knew of the price on her head. Any person suffering under the rule of Queen Lila wouldn't hesitate to bag her and hand her over to the nearest group of knights. Why was this particular man not throwing her to the wolves?

Before she could ask, Chat suddenly tensed and threw his arm out to stop her progress. "Wait."

She stared at him for a second then frowned at the path ahead. "Why? This is the way back to my vill-"

"I smell smoke," Chat murmured.

Terror propelled Multimouse forward. She pushed aside Chat Noir's arm and sprinted towards her home.

"Wait! Multimouse!"

But she ignored him. The only thought in her mind was of Emilie and her friends. She dashed through a cluster of trees then burst from the forest. She stopped long enough to take in the terrifying scene before her:

Her and Emilie's little cottage which was attached to their shop, was ablaze. Flames and smoke engulfed the entire structure, and she could see a portion of it had already caved in.

"Marinette!"

Multimouse turned her head and spotted Ivan who was leading Emilie's riled mare over to her.

"What happened?" she asked him frantically as he bent over, wheezing with exertion.

"A-Armed men came to the market," panted Ivan, his large face ruddy from apparently having half run all the way here from the market. "They questioned us all about bandits in there area. Then... I think someone may have told them that Emilie was housing a suspicious girl who wore grey." He nodded at her attire. "The men demanded Emilie take them to her home to question... you." Her heart was now beating against the inside of her throat like a desperate bird hoping to escape its cage.

"When you weren't home, the men grew angry and smacked Emilie." He gulped. "Then they bound her hands, threw torches into her house, and... they took her."

Marinette swayed as she pushed her mask up to rub at her eyes. She gulped and stared up at Ivan as if begging him to be joking - that the burning structure behind him was an illusion brought on by banging her head on the ground after being freed of the net. 

"Marinette," Ivan said urgently, his deep voice penetrating her panicky fog. "They will be back. Rose made a claim that she saw you fleeing for the market, but they'll be back." He handed her the reins attached to the head of the anxious mare. "You need to go."

Numb fingers gripped the leather cords. Slowly, the pushed the mask over her eyes and became her stealing alter ago once more. She stared up at Ivan. "Thank you..." Because of her friends, she hadn't charged into the waiting arms of the men that no doubt belonged to Queen Lila's regiment. She was escaping. "Be... be safe, Ivan. Please. Don't fight. If they ask for information, just give it to them."

Ivan smirked. "We are made of stronger material than that leather you expertly weave, Mari." He stepped back. "Now hurry! Before they come back!"

She mounted the smoke-colored mare and swallowed. "I'll come back..."

"Go!" Ivan sounded desperate now, but his eyes were kind.

Nodding, Multimouse spurred her horse into the trees, leaving behind the smell of her home burning to ashes.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

She gripped the reins as her agile mare jumped a fallen tree perfectly and began galloping through the woods. She needed to leave her village behind, but most importantly... she needed to find and rescue Emilie. Her mentor didn't deserve to be captured and carted off like a criminal. She, Multimouse, was the criminal, and now her antics had caught up with her. Emilie was paying the price of _her_ actions.

Multimouse had lead her steed well into the trees when a black blur jumped down from the nearest tree and blocked her path.

The mare let out an indignant whinny and reared up, nearly tossing her rider as Multimouse gripped the reins tightly. She shushed her frightened horse and stroked her velvety neck as the mare dropped down on all fours once more. The animal snorted in Chat Noir's face to prove a point then turned willingly as her rider bade her.

"Wh-What do you want?" Multimouse stammered, barely controlling her emotions as she scowled down at him.

Chat Noir frowned and crossed his arms. "I'm sorry about your... your house. I saw from a distance, but I didn't get too close."

She closed her eyes and turned her head away, her stomach rolling in panic. "It... It doesn't matter. I have to save my mentor now."

"Your mentor?"

"She took me in when my mother... when my mother died," Multimouse told him, opening her eyes and looking at him again. "She's all I have. We're not blood or anything, but I've lived with her over a year."

His eyes looked sympathetic behind his black mask. "I see." He fidgeted with his belt tail, and Multimouse blinked at the weird gesture despite her desperation to chase down the men who had taken her mentor.

"Alright. Then it's decided." Before she could protest, Chat Noir had stepped on a low-hanging branch and was boosting himself up to sit behind her in the saddle.

Both Multimouse and the mare protested at the action: Multimouse gasping and uttering a few curses and the horse snorting and tossing her massive head.

"Calm down," Chat said indignantly as the mare kicked out her back legs. "I'm not _that_ heavy."

The horse snorted as if contradicting him, and Multimouse fought a giggle.

"Fine," she grumbled when her companion made it clear he was not to be budged. "You can come with me." Then she tapped her mount, and the grumpy mare began a light trot.

She wasn't quite sure why she was allowing Chat Noir to accompany her in her rescue mission. The only logical thing she could think up was that she needed the extra help to fight off the armed guards that would no doubt be dragging her mentor back to Queen Lila's kingdom for questioning... or worse. Multimouse shook her head to try and clear it of those unsavory thoughts. She would save Emilie before the queen could get her claws into her. Emilie didn't deserve any of this, and she had certainly been through enough this past year.

It was a few hours before Chat spoke. "So, you plan on just snatching your mentor back?" he asked cautiously.

Multimouse scowled over her shoulder at him. When her mare stepped carefully over some rocks but slid a little, Chat grabbed her hips instinctively to prevent himself from dropping out of the saddle. Multimouse elbowed him in protest, and his hands vanished as he sucked in a breath. 

"Sorry!" he snarled in her ear. "I almost fell off!"

"Then _fall off_ next time," she grumbled back. Her nerves were already worn thin with worry and seeing her house being reduced to smoky rubble. She didn't need his complaining or his touches.

Chat seethed silently for a time. When it grew dark, Multimouse stopped her horse beside the river for the night. She dismounted, and Chat leapt gracefully to the ground. She lead her mare to a patch of grass and tied her off before relieving the horse of her saddle. She then began gathering dry wood for a fire while Chat watched her with mounting nerves.

"You could go find us food," Multimouse told him icily as she stacked the wood neatly and began foraging in her bag to see what she had to survive on. The mare's saddle bag contained rope, some dried jerky, and a water skin.

Chat's eyes narrowed. "Didn't I tell you I was starving?"

"You mean you can't hunt on your own?" Multimouse asked indignantly. "I thought you were just looking for an easy meal!"

He blinked then huffed. "I... I can hunt. I just prefer not to."

She smirked. "So, you're more of a lazy, stray barn cat who gets fat on his owner's scraps instead of hunting the mice for your meal?"

He bristled angrily. "I am _not_ lazy," he snarled.

"Good." Multimouse dug in her bag and tossed him some jerky. "Chew on that to get some energy then find us something to eat. I'll start a fire and get water."

When she next turned around, Chat Noir was gone, so she assumed he was out looking for food. She wished she had had the time to grab other food. Though, she supposed she should be happy she was lucky enough to flee her village alive and not captured like Emilie. Or burned alive in her home... With that depressing thought, she collected water for them both and began stoking up a fire.

By the time the flames were big enough to cook food on, Chat Noir returned.

He was muddy, and his false cat ears were a little eschew on his head. He was carrying a couple of dead rabbits and looking mildly pleased with himself. "See, little lady," he purred as he dropped the catch beside her on the ground and sat down on a log she had pulled over to act as a seat. "I can hunt."

"You look like you wrestled some hogs," Multimouse pointed out as she began to skin the rabbits with her dagger. "And lost."

He scowled, and she giggled as began preparing the catch for dinner. Chat stomped off towards the river to go clean up, and she was left to cook their dinner on her own.

After their meal, Multimouse curled up on her riding blanket, her cape acting as her protection from the cool night air. Chat was lying under his own cape which was broader than hers and covered his body if he tucked his legs in against his chest. They were quiet as the sounds of the crackling fire and the occasional snort from the mare were all that gave voice to the night around them.

"Chat," Multimouse murmured. "Where are you from?"

She heard him shift a little under his cloak and when she looked up, his gaze was on the fire.

"That doesn't matter anymore," he said guardedly. "I'm not much more than a discarded stray... as you put it."

Multimouse winced. "I'm sorry about that. I was angry and scared. I took my feelings out on you, and that wasn't fair." She waited from him to look at her before she murmured, "I'm sorry, Chat Noir."

His face went blank, and she was suspicious of that, but then he mumbled, "It's fine, little mouse."

'Little mouse' and 'little lady'. What was she, some helpless girl? But if he knew about her bounty, he must know her reputation. Nicknames were something she had yet to adjust to.

"Can't you tell me anything about yourself?" she asked.

"Aren't we only addressing each other as our aliases and keeping our masks on?" he countered.

"Fair point," she told him after a short pause. "Okay. Why don't we take turns?"

He stared at her, and she smiled. "We're working together, right? There should be some level of trust."

Chat Noir rolled onto his stomach and crossed his arms in front of him. He harrumphed then dropped his chin on his arms, real conflict in every muscle of his body language. Finally, he looked at her and relented. "Fine. I grew up... I grew up in a village similar to yours." He smiled a little. "I had my mother. We were close and did nearly everything together." His smile grew, and Multimouse found herself responding to it. "I always wanted to be a knight. As a boy, it was my dream." He frowned, and his smile was gone as soon as it had appeared. "If only I had known..."

A feeling of dread grew inside her stomach, but he kept talking. "When I was barely nine, soldiers came to my village," he went on. "They said they were looking for young boys to become squires and train to be knights for the king's growing army." She remembered, as a child, that very same thing happening in her own town. All of the young boys over the age of eight and able were carted off to be groomed for knighthood. She was overlooked being a girl and all. "My mother was upset, but she allowed me to go because she wanted me to grow strong. I cried for days..." He stretched, and Marinette watched him go a little more relaxed as he settled into his story. 

"As a boy, I was squired to a knight who was kind to me when I was sad, but he was firm enough to teach me lessons." He smiled reminiscently. "He taught me how to use a sword and survive on my own if I needed to." He gave her a pointed look. "Such as _hunting_ ," he grumbled, and Multimouse smiled innocently at him. Something glimmered in his green eyes, but it was gone before she could figure out what it meant. He cleared his throat. "When I was fourteen and just starting to learn more advanced techniques..." he sighed sadly and played with his gloved hands. "My mentor was killed in battle during one of the conflicts with England."

Multimouse lost her teasing smile and frowned sadly. "I'm... I'm sorry, Chat."

He nodded then rolled onto his back, staring up at the starry sky above. "I was given a new mentor, and he was..." He trailed off and she saw his shoulders tense as if preparing for a blow. "He was cruel," he murmured. "Much more strict than my first mentor. He beat me when he was unhappy with my cleaning of his clothes and sword. He told me I was useless when I fumbled riding gear or dropped buckets of water."

Rage coiled in Multimouse's heart like a snake ready to strike.

"After enduring all of that, I eventually became knighted." Chat rolled back over and looked at her. "That was about a year and a half ago." He huffed. "I was thrown into the fighting immediately." His voice trailed off. "I saw a lot of pain and suffering, Little Mouse," he whispered. "For six months, it was constantly staying up for nearly days on end then fighting with soldiers on all sides." He grimaced. "The smell was bad enough, but many men I knew and grew up with were slaughtered." His voice broke a little at the end.

Multimouse found herself scooting towards him on her blanket. She stopped beside his head and reached out to place her hand over his. He blinked in shock and stared at her before accepting her touch and turning his hand over to hold hers.

"Then the best thing that could've happened to me did," Chat murmured. When she looked blank, he amended, "I got hurt." He let go of her and turned over onto his back. She watched in mild embarrassment as he pulled up his tunic and showed her his muscled belly. Above and to the right of his naval was a scar clearly left by a blade. "Just missed my organs," Chat murmured as he tucked the shirt back down. Multimouse had to snap herself back to reality and not ogle him.

"I had to rest, but they didn't want me put back into battle so soon after being injured, so I was sent off as part of a scouting party." His eyes narrowed. "That's when I learned that the rules I learned about honor and protecting the innocent were nonexistent in our queen's eyes." His own hardened. "We were made to ride in packs and spur villagers into handing over their money to feed the funds for war. I had no idea how... brutal people could be, but..." he sighed. "That's when I deserted my fellows."

She stared at him. "You left the knighthood?" she gasped.

Chat nodded. "I didn't want to hurt innocent people. Everything we did felt wrong and cruel. I left and have been on the run as Chat Noir ever since." He tapped his cat ears and smiled blithely. "So, I duck the so-called knights and queen's men just as you do."

Multimouse felt pity for him, and she showed that in her face as she watched him. He flushed and rubbed at his neck. "It's not so bad. I'm just a rogue cat." He smirked. "A _stray_ tomcat just trying to survive in the world."

"Sounds lonely," she said sympathetically.

"Well, that is the downside. The good has been seeing all corners of Europe. I just need to keep my head down." Chat smirked and stretched, his eyes half-lidded. "What about you, little mouse?"

She frowned at his nickname, but he just looked smug. The bastard. "Actually, _kitty cat_ ," she bit out, and was satisfied to see him flush beneath his mask. "My mother taught me how to defend myself."

And she recounted her story, going on guard when she described how her mother was killed my Queen Lila's men the summer before. She was vague on the situation, but she did tell him her mother was once a warrior which why she knew so much about battle.

Chat Noir was clearly impressed. He nodded when she described some techniques she learned and laughed out loud when she described how she had used those means to snatch gold from the aristocrats of France. They fell into a comfortable silence and Multimouse yawned hugely, breaking the quiet effectively. 

"Goodnight, Chat," she murmured.

"Sweet dreams, Little Mouse."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

For the first three days, they followed the trail of the men who had taken Multimouse's mentor. Chat assisted in following the hoof prints and telling her about the patterns the knights used to prevent being tracked. All the while, he kept his true intentions to himself.

When recounting his being a rogue cat, he left out his capture and the torment his former instructor had put him through before releasing him. He nervously rotated his shoulders, recalling the sting of the whip making contact with his back. He remembered the men he had served alongside laughing as he was beaten and kicked around; dragged through mud and thrown into icy water until his skin turned blue.

After all of this, his mentor had pinned him on his stomach and held a blade to his neck, threatening to repeat the torture unless he complied with his demands.

Then he had been sent to find the allusive Multimouse and bring her back to them alive.

His heart ached with the idea of handing over the girl who had shown him kindness despite going through her own problems. Every time he thought of confessing to her, his body remembered what he had endured for days, and he recoiled like a beaten dog before a cane.

During the fourth night where he felt they were closing in, Chat Noir was awoken by the sound of rustling leaves. He sat up and narrowed his eyes, trying to adjust to the low light. He gripped his sword as he stood slowly. A glance at his sleeping companion confirmed she had not been disturbed. He walked carefully towards the tall grass where they had camped near the river. His grip on his blade tightened when he caught more rustling and stones being pushed against the bank.

He gritted his teeth then sprang with deadly silence into the grass and tackled the intruder to the ground. An indignant squawk was quickly stifled as Chat put his blade to the trespasser's throat. "Chloé!" Chat hissed as he relaxed his face but kept his grip on the cloaked woman tight. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Chloé's blonde hair was tucked into her own hood and now lay rumpled from his ambush. "Adrikins!" she said joyfully. He shushed her as his mouth twisted with distaste at the nickname.

"Keep your voice down," he growled softly.

She smirked. "So I don't wake your little mouse lover?"

He ignored the blush in his cheeks. "Stop fooling around. What do you want?"

"Just checking on your progress," Chloé responded, accepting his hand as he pulled her to her feet. She was dressed in golds and blacks like a bee. Like him, she wore a mask to hide her face. She went by Queen Bee, but they had known each other since they were kids, so he almost always addressed her as her birth name. "Hawk Moth sent me to make sure you weren't abandoning your mission."

The name caused him to wince, and he felt phantom pains in his back. Chloé's eyes softened a little in sympathy. "If you bring her to him, he won't hurt you again," she told him as if this were perfectly reasonable.

"I know," he said through clenched teeth. "We're following the party that took her mentor. They should be headed right to him."

Chloé's eyes brightened. "Oh! Then you had a plan!"

"Don't sound so surprised."

"I had every faith in you, Adrikins."

"Stop calling me that."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself." She adjusted her cloak and smiled. Twin daggers were strapped to her thighs, and she made sure they were secure before stepping back. "Take care. Don't get distracted."

He didn't have a response, but she slipped off before he could think one up.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next afternoon was when the pair came across their first carriage but going in the opposite direction they were.

Multimouse reined in her mare and had her hide in some shrubs. Chat Noir was flummoxed until she told him they could have easy pickings for food being the rich scum that they were. He knew hunger was causing her to stop and steal because she had been so dead set on following her mentor's jailers. Plus, he had said he could help her.

They crouched in a ditch beside the road. "So, you can just slip under the carriage?" Chat whispered as their target slowly approached.

Multimouse nodded. "Yes. I'll grab what I can while you distract the guards."

He smirked and patted his sword. "Very well. Ladies first."

She stayed low, and when the carriage passed by, she grabbed the step used for exiting the structure before swinging underneath it. She moved to fluidly, that the guards missed her completely. She gripped the underside of the carriage with her legs as she began shimmying along. She waited with baited breath for the signal.

The sounds of the men riding behind her crying out in outrage was good enough for her. Multimouse moved with the speed and silence akin to her alias as she yanked open the door and found herself interrupting a tea party of all things. The party was made up only of women who were gossiping and apparently enjoying their ride to the next city. They were dressed in layers of skirts and frills that made her stomach heave.

Multimouse felt no remorse as she snatched their trays of biscuits and even grabbed their sausages which must've been prepared for them before they set out. Paris was only a half hour or so away. She then jumped from the now screaming transport and tumbled to the ground with her prize. Carrying the bag in her fist, she watched with amusement as her cat companion fought expertly with one of the guards who had either fallen off or had voluntarily dismounted from their horses. She guessed it was the former.

Chat moved with fluid grace between the men, his rapier lighter but having better reach than their swords. He ducked their jabs and rolled to avoid losing his head as one took a swipe at his neck. He backed up and then used a nearby tree to spring himself at one of them and crack the end of his sword in between one of the men's eyes. He shrieked and crumpled as Chat turned and slashed the sword from the other's grip.

"Chat! Let's go!" Multimouse called, hurrying into the trees.

She heard him catching up behind her, carrying his sword and grinning like a fool. "That was exhilarating!" he said with feeling. "Actually fighting them was... odd, but it felt... right." He seemed conflicted, so she left him to his thoughts. When they reached her horse, they quickly mounted and hurried away from the scene as fast as they could. 

When they felt it was safe to slow the mare to a walk, Multimouse opened the sack and passed him warm biscuits and sausages. He ate ravenously behind her as she too indulged in good food she hadn't had in her entire life. She gave him a dirty look when he got crumbs on her cloak, and he smiled not so apologetically as he brushed them off.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next morning, while Multimouse rested, Chat Noir wondered off to bathe. He thought she would be safe enough on her own while he cleaned the grime off of himself. Rolling in the dirt sure kept him smelling ripe. He also stank of horse and sweat, so he knew he needed to freshen up. She had done the same the night before, so he only felt obligated to clean up.

After shedding his leather and cloak, he scrubbed himself in the cool river water until his skin felt raw and then washed his clothes the best he could. He pulled on his tunic and pants and was carrying the rest of his clothes when he realized his mask wasn't on his face. Cursing his foolishness, he fumbled to get it over his eyes. When it was secure, he felt relief, but that quickly was abolished by him tripping and slicing his side on a sharp branch.

He yelped in pain and clutched at his burning ribs as the heaved himself to his feet. The branch hadn't punctured anything, but had cut him open to the point blood loss could be an issue. He staggered to their campsite, his vision swimming.

"Chat? Chat!" He stumbled, and warm hands caught him. Multimouse turned him onto his back, and he could make out her face in his fuzzy vision. He felt her pull up his shirt and gasp when she saw the gash. "Okay, hold still, Kitty," she murmured. He slipped in and out of consciousness...

And was abruptly brought back to earth when he felt a searing pain in his chest. He cried out, and Multimouse shushed him while soothingly stroking his hair. She had used her water skin to flush out the wound. He whimpered as she applied something soft and damp to his side, and he squirmed in discomfort. "Don't be such a baby," she grumbled when he cursed at her. Then she was using pieces of torn cloth to bind whatever it was she used to his side. He glanced down and saw herbs meant to prevent infection lying on his still bleeding wound. When he was bandaged, he slumped back and panted heavily.

Multimouse started their fire and then did something he was not prepared for. She sat down and threw his cloak over his body. Not only that, but she put his head in her lap and began stroking his hair to comfort him. He blinked up at her, and her blue eyes were soft as she murmured reassurances that he would live.

"Th-Thank you," he choked out after some time. She gave him water, and he swallowed greedily. The pain had lessened but came back full force whenever he dared move.

"You owe me a debt, Kitty cat," she murmured as she leaned over him to pick up his torn shirt. He watched in mild fascination as she began sewing the rip that the branch had left in the cloth. 

He smiled weakly. "So, you can sword fight, and you can sew things?"

"I'm a woman of many talents."

He smirked. "I know." He closed his eyes and began to catnap in order to rest.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

When he next awoke, it was dusk, and the warmth of Multimouse's lap was absent. He frowned and sat up, but was met with instant regret as his ribs ached. He hissed and forced himself to sit upright.

Soft footsteps had him tensing, but it was just Multimouse returning with a bag and looking smug. 

"What did you pillage today?" he asked, only half teasing.

Multimouse opened the bag and pulled out... bandages, a brown bottle of some liquid, and several herbs he couldn't name. His throat closed. She had stolen to help him recover. Guilt ate away at his stomach like a ravenous wolf.

"Lay down," she commanded. He complied, and she removed her makeshift bandaging and the moss and herbs she had laid on him. He winced when she used water to wash away any remnants then grimaced. "This is a type of... well, the physician I got these from said that it burns but is more effective against preventing fevers."

"You didn't steal these?" Chat gestured at her bag, and she smiled toothily. 

"No. I stole the money from soldiers, and I used _that_ gold to buy the medicine."

Tears of gratitude burned in his eyes. He closed them hastily to hide them from her. He felt her stroke his cheek in a comforting gesture that made his throat close. He hadn't felt a soft touch since his mother. His first mentor had been kind but not physical. His second one, well... the only touch he felt was when he was slapped.

All too soon, Multimouse murmured, "Okay, you need to bite down on... something. Your screams could attract trouble."

"M-My what!?" he demanded.

She grimaced and picked up his belt. "The physician said it works well but makes the toughest men shriek like they're being stabbed all over again."

"Lovely." Chat took his belt in between his teeth as she uncorked the bottle.

"Ready?" she asked.

He shook his head and closed his eyes, turning his face away.

The belt was the only thing preventing his yells of agony echoing throughout the entirety of France.

When he came to, he was bandaged and huddled in a ball. It was also dark out. They had wasted an entire day because his mangy self had gotten hurt. He cursed softly as he sat up. Multimouse was curled up beside him, her head pillowed on her saddle. Her dark hair had come out of its buns and lay on her shoulders. Her mask still adorned her face, but he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life...

His heart stuttered, and he cursed himself mentally. Why was he allowing these... these weak thoughts to entire his mind? He needed to focus on recovering.

But she'd saved him. She could've just left him to tend to his wound on his own, and yet she had stayed. Not only that, but she had helped him - stolen to get him proper medicine. His mouth tasted faintly like herbs, and he wondered if she had forced some herbal remedy down his throat before he fell asleep. He couldn't remember anything.

Before he could stop himself, his hand, bare of his glove, reached out and caressed her forehead. He pushed away some midnight locks and watched her with rising affection. They barely knew each other, and yet she had done so much for him. Hell, she'd done more for him in the last couple of days than his former mentor had ever done for him in the years he was under his command.

She stirred and opened her eyes slowly. "Hello..." she murmured sleepily.

He flushed and withdrew his hand, embarrassed at being caught touching her so intimately. "S-Sorry. Um... good morning?" he said awkwardly, his voice rising a couple of octaves at the end and making his statement sound like a question.

Multimouse smiled, and his heart kicked. "Morning." She sat up and rubbed at her eyes before stretching. "How does your wound feel?"

Chat frowned and slowly turned his torso a few times. The injury stung but wasn't utter agony like the day before. "I can ride."

She nodded and grabbed her saddle, hurrying over to their horse and getting her ready for riding.

Chat Noir got to his feet and slung his cloak on. As he was fastening it, Multimouse passed him some berries and scraps of salted meat. "Eat up. We have a lot of ground to cover."

He got on the horse behind her with only short bursts of pain. Riding jostled his injury, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Moving with the swaying of the horse hurt less, but the day was not going to be enjoyable for him.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It took nearly two days to catch up with Emilie and her captors. Halfway through the second day since Chat got hurt, Multimouse was feeling a sense of... comfort around him? She couldn't think of the right word. She felt relaxed around this cat boy and that she could trust him to watch her back.

She noticed, however, he had been quiet and thoughtful. Several times she thought she caught him out of the corner of her eye opening his mouth as if to say something to her. Whenever she turned to look at him, his jaw would shut, and he would turn away as if nothing had happened. She was concerned, but he was recovering from his wounds. She decided not to pester him.

She had snatched some gold from a hunting party which had been one of her easiest steals to date. The idiots were so busy arguing over who had the best shot, she was able to go through their saddle bags and swipe their coin bags. They noticed nothing.

A town they had passed through sold food, so she had purchased sustenance for both of them. There had also been a medicine woman who sold her herbs to feed Chat to help with pain and inflammation. 

The pouting cat had gulped down the tea she made for him with the herbs mixed in with a grimace. He complained the teas were bitter and left a lingering aftertaste on his tongue. She gave him a hard and steady look to which he stopped whining and finished the tea without further complaint.

They were crossing a set of low hills and ready to enter a forest when her horse suddenly tensed. Multimouse felt the animal's muscles go rigid under her legs, and she frowned at her mount as her ears pulled back to show nerves.

"What is it, girl?" Multimouse asked as she gripped the reins and her horse snorted.

Chat was tense behind her as well. "This woods is littered with thieves," he informed his companion.

Multimouse frowned. "I think we can manage. We don't have much to steal."

"They'll try for your horse."

She gave him a look. "I can fight off a few bandits."

Chat Noir looked suddenly nervous and put his hand over hers. "We should go around."

"No!" Multimouse protested. "We're getting so close, Chat!" The tracks in the road were relatively fresh. If they went around the forest, they would lose ground and fall further behind the party that had Emilie. "We have to go through." She nudged her wary horse forward.

Chat was as stiff as a stone statue behind her, but she ignored him. If he was nervous, fine, but she could manage herself. She had her whip, her dagger, and her experiences.

"What if we get ambushed?" Chat asked her in a panic as the trees loomed ever closer.

"If we do, I can handle it," she hissed through gritted teeth.

Chat scuffed, but she ignored him.

Despite his reservations, the pair make their way through the darker forest without any interruptions save a few noisy birds and squirrels scampering across the road. Not once did they meet anyone or pass any other travelers on the road.

It wasn't until they reached the bridge on the other side that things went wrong.

Multimouse was feeling forgiving after being proven right that traveling through the forest wouldn't be an issue. She leaned back a little to bump her shoulder into his playfully and smile at him. "See, Kitty? Nothing to worry about."

He huffed, and she giggled. "We can do this. We'll be caught up to... to my mentor before nightfall."

Chat mumbled something she didn't catch.

"So," Multimouse started awkwardly. "Chat, can I be honest with you?"

"Sure, Little Mouse," he purred.

She ignored the little shiver the sound gave her. "I just wanted to tell you that... despite only having not met you more than a week ago, I feel like... I can trust you."

His muscles locked up behind her, and she leaned a little into him, careful to avoid his injured side. "I'm... I'm being sincere. You have been a real comfort to me." She felt him tremble when she leaned her head on his shoulder then sat back up. "I think if you weren't here, I would be hysterical with panic."

"Oh..." His normally talkative self was suddenly barely managing a few words.

"Chat, I would even say you're a really good friend," she said with sincerity as her mare began stepping carefully over a bridge.

As if those words were a curse uttered to the world, everything around went completely silent: no birds, no insects, no rustling of branches in the wind.

Multimouse's mare reared nervously and snorted, tossing her head in panic.

"Whoa, girl!" Her owner tried to soothe the frantic horse, but she continued to snort and stomp.

There was a slithering sound like a snake sliding its scaled belly over dry leaves, and Multimouse's eyes widened in terror as multiple hooded figures began climbing over the side of the bridge like trolls from fairy tales. All of them had weapons and were locked on her.

Multimouse tried to back her horse away from the ambush, but there were bandits behind them, too. She glanced over the side. She could make the jump... she could. All she had to do was dismount and roll over the edge of the bridge to land in the water.

She could, but Chat couldn't with his injury. She looked back at her companion, and she saw his face was pale with terror, his green eyes darting from one hooded figure to the next.

Multimouse was trying to formulate another escape plan when a voice murmured, "Very good, Chat Noir." One of the bandits stepped forward and lowered their hood, and Multimouse stared at a girl around her age with blonde hair tied back in a braid. Her mask was black with golden accents, and she had twin daggers in her hands. "She's right where we need her." She smiled, her blue eyes hard. "Just as we planned."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun DUN!
> 
> Still moving along. I think this will have 4 or 5 parts. I'm condensing but trying to have some character development as well. :3
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated! I'm working on multiple prompts to get my brain going in several directions. I seem to focus better that way. ♥


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Chat's mentor - a real peach, I must say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to say thank you to those have been following this short story. I know most of this series has been one-shots, and people can drift when a piece has multiple parts. So, those who have stayed with this one - y'all are the best! ♥
> 
> Also, writer's block sucks. :3

Marinette thought she had experienced true anger while watching Queen Lila's soldiers rob her people and suck them dry of their life earnings. She thought her temper could not bubble over any more than it had back then...

She had been wrong.

It turned out Chat Noir was not who he said he had been. A rebel against the rule of Queen Lila? He hid his identity so that none of the soldiers he used to work with would recognize him? Hell, he even claimed to want to work with her, which implied he wanted to at least be allies.

Lies. All lies.

Now, she was being led forward with her hands in shackles. Her hair was loose and kept falling into her eyes as she followed Chat Noir and his yellow and gold companion.

She had not come quietly. The moment she realized he had betrayed her, Multimouse had begun to fight. She drew her whip and managed to slap some bandits back away from her horse as she tried to get her mare to buck Chat off as she whirled around.

Chat Noir, seemingly as stunned by her actions as the rest of the crew, yelped when she elbowed him sharply in the chest and sent him scrambling to grip the saddle. Not caring if he fell off or not, Multimouse jerked the reins and got her horse to turn sharply.

However, things went south when the girl known as Queen Bee interfered. She seemed more skilled the rest. With the agility and speed of a springing cat, she leapt forward and grabbed the horse's bridle. The already spooked mare whinnied and reared before bucking. This sent both Multimouse and Chat Noir tumbling onto the bridge with a CRASH, and suddenly several different pairs of hands were seizing her weapons while others held her wrists to bind them. 

She had kicked, screamed, scratched, and even bit, but there were just too many. She was outnumbered. Multimouse put up a magnificent fight for being put up against multiple opponents, but in the end, numbers mattered.

Now, she was walking with bruised ribs and was weaponless. She got to keep her mask, to which she was relieved. She also noticed Queen Bee, who had introduced herself as such when Multimouse was finally captured, wore a mask like Chat's. Peering into the other bandit's faces, she saw masks, but none of them were as... flamboyant as Queen Bee's. They had just plain black masks over their eyes.

Chat Noir was walking stiffly, his arm around his injured side as he kept pace with Queen Bee, slightly ahead of Multimouse. She narrowed her eyes whenever Chat snuck a glance at her. She would not let the hurt she felt from his betrayal show in her expression. She made sure she looked cold and furious instead of close to tears like she half felt like succumbing to.

At least she could feel some cruel satisfaction that his injury was bothering him. His wound had no doubt been jarred when they both fell off of her horse.

Queen Bee noticed Chat's awkward gait, too. "What did you do to yourself now, Adr-"

Chat Noir snarled a little at her. Multimouse thought he was shutting her up, but instead of being cowed by him, the blonde snorted. "Oh, for heaven's sake! I don't throw a fit when you call me by my birth name."

He glared at her, which made her roll her blue eyes into the back of her head. " _Fine_! What did you do to yourself now, _Chat Noir_?" There were air quotes around his alias and her tone was marinated in sarcasm.

"It's nothing. Just a scrape," Chat mumbled. 

Queen Bee snorted. "I'll bet you fell over your tail or something. It's such a ridiculous accessory. Utterly ridiculous." Her high and mighty way of speaking made Multimouse think of the way nobles talked down to commoners. It was disconcerting, but why would someone of aristocratic blood run around with these masked bandits? Interesting.

She huffed when they came upon an encampment. There were maybe a dozen cloaked and hooded figures running around and doing normal things: stoking fires, washing clothes in the river, polishing and sharpening weapons, and tending to horses. It was an organized set-up, and Multimouse noticed every single one of them wore masks and were armed in varying degrees.

Multimouse scowled when Queen Bee took her by the upper arm. "Our leader will speak with you when he gets back from his hunt."

"I cannot wait to be graced with his presence," the mouse bandit replied icily.

Queen Bee blinked, and the darker-haired girl could've sworn she spotted something like amusement in the blonde's eyes. She was forced to sit with her back against a large stake that had been shoved into the ground. A few horses were tied to other stakes nearby, but this one was meant for people because her hands were forced behind her back after being unbound and then shackled again behind the pole. It was much too tall for her to stand and wiggle or jump herself free, so she was stuck.

"Get comfortable," Queen Bee told her with a twisted smile.

Multimouse lifted her gaze to Chat Noir who blinked at her. His green eyes were clouded with conflict as he looked at her. When she gave him a venomous look, he swallowed and turned away. He followed Queen Bee away from her and towards another hooded person to speak to them.

After taking an angry breath, Multimouse took in her surroundings. She was near the river where a few people were washing clothing then hanging them up on lines connected between trees to dry. They gave her curious glances to which she jerked her gaze away. They knew who she was. Most of the people in the camp kept sneaking peeks at her: some were cowed by her glaring daggers at them, but other met her gaze with challenge. It was creepy. 

"Would you like something to drink?" came a voice in front of her.

Multimouse looked up and frowned at a young woman who wore a mask that stood out among the others like Queen Bee's and Chat's. Her mask was orange with white stripes Her outfit followed the color scheme, but the white was toned down to accents that were easily covered by a cloak, so she didn't stand out like a target.

"What do you care?" Multimouse bit out. "I'm just the prisoner."

"True," murmured the other girl as she clutched a water skin. "But we do want to you to stay alive."

She snorted. "You and I both know that once I'm handed over to the Queen, my neck will be slipped into a noose in a trice."

At this, the girl blinked - looking confused. "What? No! We don't work for Queen Lila. We follow Hawk Moth."

"Who?"

The girl knelt and offered her water skin. After Multimouse drank from it, she pulled back. "Hawk Moth. He was once an adviser and general for Queen Lila's armies, but he went rogue and began recruiting others to rebel against her."

Multimouse blinked. How had she not heard of this man?

"Then... if I'm not being handed over to the queen, why am I being treated like a prisoner?"

The girl chuckled. "Because we needed you to stop and listen."

"I'm listening _now_ ," Multimouse grumbled.

She grinned. "We need your help, but I'll wait until Hawk Moth gets back to tell you himself." She brushed her pants off. "My name is Rena Rouge."

"And here I thought I was the only masked bandit around here," Multimouse said dryly.

Rena Rouge chuckled. "We wear the masks to hide our identities in case the lovely soldiers want to take out their frustrations with us on our families - those who have them, anyway." Her brown eyes look sad momentarily behind her mask, and Multimouse feels empathy for her. "Hawk Moth calls our group the Akumas, but we're pretty much hidden in the shadows."

"I see." Multimouse shifted in her stance. "I'm just trying to catch up with the group of soldiers that have my mentor held prisoner. They took her because of me, and I need to save her."

Rena blinked. "Oh... Well, we don't attack any parties with more than a handful of guards." She shrugged. "Hawk Moth wants our true numbers to remain a secret, so only a couple of us go out in scouting parties together."

Multimouse frowned. "So... if they passed through nearby..."

"I'm afraid we probably drew back and didn't pursue them," Rena Rogue said sadly. "It's for our own safety to only ambush small parties."

Feeling defeated, Multimouse slouched back and closed her eyes. "I just want her back..."

"Maybe we can break your mentor out when we go into the city," Rena Rouge said eagerly.

She opened her eyes and blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Rena bit her lip. "I won't say much, but we plan on slipping into the city soon. We need your help, but I'll save the details for when our leader returns."

She left at that, and Multimouse couldn't help but have a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A couple of hours pass, and the sun was sinking behind the trees when Hawk Moth returned. The camp, which had been bustling with people attending chores and chatting among themselves, fell silent as a tall man in a hooded cloak entered their midst astride an enormous silvery stallion. The horse looked as if it was giving off purple hues in the fading sunlight, and Multimouse thought she had never seen such a magnificent warhorse. Those hooves could _easily_ crush a skull.

The hooded man dismounted from his horse and handed the reins off to one of the akumas. He then walked over to Chat Noir, who was standing with his back to the largest fire and awaiting the return of his leader.

"You have returned," Hawk Moth said coolly as he lowered his hood. He, like his followers, wore a mask. However, his covered his entire head and down to his neck. Only his mouth and eyes were uncovered, and Multimouse couldn't help but think of an executioner's mask after seeing one in the city of Paris when she was smaller. That man had been big like this one and carried a heavy ax easily. She couldn't remember why the executioner had been summoned, but someone had done some wrong doing and would lose their head for it.

Chat Noir bowed his head, and Multimouse could see even from several yards away that the younger man was tense. "Yes, Hawk Moth."

"And where is our new guest?" asked the other, a chill in his voice that made Multimouse want to burrow into the ground and never come out again.

Chat turned his gaze toward hers, and his green eyes widened a bit when he made eye contact. He flushed a little and nodded in her direction.

Hawk Moth turned away from the cat-like young man without another word and stalked toward her.

Multimouse felt as if she were bound with her head over a block, and though Hawk Moth appeared unarmed, she could easily imagine him being capable of carrying an ax. He stopped in front of her, and she slowly lifted her gaze over his knee-high boots to his darkened clothing. The firelight gave her just enough reference to the fact he was in deep purple. The cloak pin at his throat had four pointed ends that stuck out of it like a star... or a butterfly. He wore gloves, and she saw for the first time that he carried a staff, but he wasn't using it as a walking stick. He held it at his side as if preparing to stab anyone who approaching him from the back with it. His grey eyes were pitiless and empty of any emotion. Multimouse wondered if a soul even existed behind those eyes.

"So, the famous Multimouse has joined us at last," he murmured. His voice was just loud enough to be considered casual, but the little noise that had swelled up since his arrival was quickly staunched as if he had cast a spell. Even the horses were quiet, so only the crackling of the fires was heard.

She met his gaze the best she could. Brave she may be, but the leader of the Akumas was not something she was familiar with. Her targets were heartless and stupid, but at least they showed emotion. Even if they weren't afraid of her (at first), they did show anger or disgust. This man showed zilch. 

Then he smiled, and that was far worse. The expression gave off absolutely no humor or anything a smile should. It was colder than a cat smiling at a mouse; cold like a sadistic person before they drew out someone's pain and killed them. Even without knowing much about him, Multimouse knew this man had been the cause of much pain and suffering. That made her wonder why so many people were willing to join him. Queen Bee (or Chloé as she had overheard later), was a snob but she showed emotions by laughing and joking with the others. Rena Rouge had smiled at her and appeared to get along well with her fellows. Chat... her stomach twisted at the thought of his betrayal, Chat Noir had joked around and been sweet. How had this man recruited so many?

"I see the mouse doesn't want to squeak," Hawk Moth murmured, bending down to get on her eye level where she was stuck on the ground. "Are you too afraid to speak, my dear?"

Multimouse narrowed her eyes and summoned any dregs of courage she had buried within her. "I simply do not understand why I'm here in the first place," she said tersely. "I was so rudely grabbed and tied to this post like an unruly horse."

"For that, my dear, I do apologize, but your reputation precedes you," Hawk Moth said as he nodded at her bound hands. "Had you been simply asked to join us, would you have done so?"

She frowned. The honest answer was no because she had one goal in mind: to save Emilie. Anything else was irrelevant or an obstacle. "What do you need me for?" she asked, her jaw clenched.

His smile showed teeth. "For the ultimate robbery, my dear." He stood and twirled his staff once before slamming it into the ground mere centimeters from her feet. "We are going to break into Queen Lila's castle and steal the most valuable treasure in the kingdom." His cold eyes gleamed with greedy delight. "And you will help us do it."

That made her scoff. "And what makes you think I will be so complacent to help you?"

He narrowed his eyes, and a chill ran through the camp as if the night air suddenly decided to drop several degrees. "Because I happen to know that you are trying to rescue your sewing mentor." He smirked when she winced. "She is being taken to Paris as we speak. By now, she must be getting shackles fitted onto her before being tossed into a cell." He flexed his hand on his staff. "You complying to help will lead to you being given the opportunity to rescue her."

Multimouse crossed her legs and took a breath. "Your storming of the castle will be what will distract the guards of the prison while I snatch my mentor?"

"Something of the sort." Hawk Moth waved his hand dismissively. "And that also would require you to assist in stealing the treasure first."

"What treasure are we referring to?" Multimouse asked.

A hungry look appeared in the man's eye. "The Miraculous Staff... otherwise known as the ladybug and black cat staff."

Her stomach lurched. "Isn't that... the coronation staff? The one the current ruler of France carries during public ceremonies?" She had seen paintings of it, and it was truly magnificent: made mostly of gold, the staff was as tall as she was an was decorated with intricate patterns such as stars and dragons. At the top, the staff was crowned with a huge yin-yang symbol: the yin a red and silver swirl with ladybug spots scattered on the red; and the yang side just black with a green pawprint to represent the black cat. Both were symbols of balance: ladybug being the sign of life and creation, and the cat being the representation of death and destruction. One could not exist without the other. They balance.

Hawk Moth nodded. "The very same. Whoever possess that controls the kingdom, and I'm sure you are no supporter of Queen Lila if your wanted posters indicate anything."

Of course she was against Queen Lila's rule. The greedy monarch just wanted to make money off of wars and destroy enemies with her power. "Who... Who would take her place?" she asked.

Hawk Moth blinked. "Why, the people, of course. We've been under her heel much too long, don't you agree?"

She did. She huffed, but all she can think about is Emilie and making sure she was safe. She rolled her neck. "Fine. I shall go with you and help steal the staff or scepter or whatever it is." She took a breath. "Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with rebelling against the queen, but I want to make sure my mentor is home safe before doing anything else."

"Very well," Hawk Moth agreed. He knelt with his staff, and before she could react, she heard the swishing sound of a blade, and the ropes binding her fell away.

Multimouse got to her feet, rubbing her wrists, and looking towards the other hooded bandits. She thought she saw Rena Rouge talking with Chat Noir, so she glanced at the leader, but he had turned away to speak with others. Taking that as a dismissal, she marched right over to her former cat ally and, before anyone could stop her, socking him right in the shoulder.

Chat yowled like a cat falling into an icy bath and grabbed his arm. He glowered at her indignantly before taking in that it was she who had punched him.

Rena Rouge looked torn between protecting her friend and laughing over his expression. "Wow, you got a heck of punch there, girl!"

Multimouse rubbed her bruised knuckles. "There's more where that came from," she growled. "That's for lying to me, you mangy cat."

Chat had the grace to look ashamed. "I'm... I'm sorry I lied. I just didn't think you would listen to me. You were so fixated on your mentor..."

"I still am," Multimouse cut in. "I will help you get to the scepter, but my mentor takes my priority once we're on the castle grounds."

Rena grinned. "You'll be a valuable asset, I think," she told her. "I've heard you've even snatched gold out from under Lord Bourgeois and his guards."

"He deserves it," growled a voice. Queen Bee/Chloé/Multimouse was going to refer to her as Queen Bee while her mask was over her eyes came striding over. "He sold his country out for money and allowed the rounding up of all of our boys to be forced into becoming soldiers."

"That happened in my town, too," Multimouse murmured, her stomach clenching. "And the nearby ones. A boy I knew was forced into it, but a few of my friends managed to avoid being picked because they were either sick at the time or they hid."

"Never thought I would say this," Queen Bee said, sitting with dignity atop a rock just a few yards from their fire, "but thank the gods I was born a girl."

"You say that now," grumbled Rena. "Wait until our cycles start again."

Queen Bee grimaced, but Chat Noir looked horrified. "You two better not line up again. I thought we all were walking around on eggshells with you two-"

"SHUT UP, CHAT!" Rena Rouge and Queen Bee said at the same time.

Multimouse giggled for the first time in a while.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Later that night, Multimouse found herself sitting among people of varying ages, ethnicities, and homelands, but all with one goal: to rebel against Queen Lila and her horrendous treatment of her citizens. All of them had their own stories as to why they were with the Akuma group. Several lost family members or friends to the Rossi soldiers or were forced to work under her rule in brutal conditions.

"I lost my sister," Rena Rouge told Multimouse as they indulged in a hearty stew. "She was killed by soldiers. My mom and younger sisters are still at home and safe." She shrugged, her eyes bright. "I bring them money every few weeks, but that is the most I've seen them."

Chat Noir was moodily poking at a chunk of meat in his own bowl. Multimouse thought he looked a little pale, but it was harder to tell in the firelight. He wasn't eating which worried her. That cat normally had an appetite to rival her own. 

Multimouse turned back to Rena. "I'm sorry about your sister..." She lowered her gaze. "My dad died when I was a child to an illness, but my mom fell to the soldiers as well. She was an incredible warrior, but she was outnumbered. This was a little over a year ago."

Rena patted her arm. "So... this mentor you're trying to rescue..."

"She's like my mom now - or a close aunt." Multimouse shrugged. "I was nearly an adult when I lost my mother, but I still couldn't live without her unless I got married." She wrinkled her nose, and Rena giggled. "Which I was not keen to do, so... I moved in with my mentor. She lost her son in a battle around the same time, so we mourned together."

"That's sad but sweet," the other girl murmured. "I'm glad you found someone to stick with."

"What are you all getting snuggly and warm over here for?" Queen Bee scoffed as she sat down on Chat's other side.

Multimouse raised her eyebrows, but Rena took this as if it were normally how Queen Bee behaved, which was no doubt the case. "We need to have happier things to talk about while we bond over our dead relatives."

Queen Bee wrinkled her nose then took a bite from her stew. 

"Why are you here, Queen Bee?" Multimouse asked her.

Taken aback, Queen Bee choked a little on the broth and gave her a venomous look. "Mind your own business, _mouse_ ," she seethed.

Rena Rouge gave the blonde girl a look before turning to Multimouse. "Her father is actually a lord, and he's the one we were discussing earlier." She ignored Queen Bee's indignant snarl. "He sold out his own people, so she left him with a note explaining she was renouncing her title and joining a group of rebellious bandits."

"Wow," Multimouse murmured as Queen Bee flushed angrily. "I think that was very brave," she added to the blonde.

Queen Bee looked stunned.

"I would rather be free and doing what I believe in than locked up and forced to follow Queen Lila's rules," she went on. "I'm sure you had a lot of privileges, but with those privileges came repercussions, I'm sure."

For once, the blonde, bee-themed bandit had nothing to say, so Multimouse knew she had gotten Chloé's backstory exactly right.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next morning was when Multimouse officially joined the Akumas in their journey to Paris. She helped saddle the horses, but most of the bandits were walking. Only Hawk Moth's most trusted rode.

She had not spoken to them, but Multimouse knew the names of Hawk Moth's most trusted companions: a woman older than them who went by the name Mayura and wore dark blues with some green like a peacock and a young man named Viperion who wore black with green-ish blue hues in his cape. Mayura carried multiple knives and apparently worked as an assassin now after killing her rich husband for his money. Viperion, like Chat Noir, was a former knight who renounced his knighthood.

The three of them stuck together. Mayura was Hawk Moth's second in command, and she wasn't afraid to be as chilling as him.

Viperion was softer, but he clearly knew he was ranked higher than the rest and easily gave instructions when it came to packing up their troop.

Multimouse walked in between Rena Rouge and Queen Bee as she was still annoyed with Chat Noir for deceiving her. She crossed her arms and glanced forward at Hawk Moth who was leading the group with Mayura at his side on her own mount. Viperion was on his stallion at the rear of the pack.

"Aren't we a bit obvious?" Multimouse asked as they navigated on the main road.

"We'll split into smaller groups in a short while then rendezvous at the Paris city gates," Rena explained.

Queen Bee snorted. "It wouldn't exactly be a surprise attack if we all just stormed as one to the castle."

"We'll break off into pairs once we get to Paris," Chat murmured, speaking for the first time in... quite a while. His mouth normally never stopped, so his lack of communication slightly disturbed Multimouse.

When the sun became high in the sky, the troop of bandits began splitting off into smaller groups. Queen Bee took charge by looping in Rena Rouge and Chat Noir, but she also shocked Multimouse by including her, too.

"You better be as good as everyone says, Mouse," Queen bee told her threateningly as they separated from the others and slipped into the trees.

Oddly, Multimouse felt more amused than defensive.

Chat was silent as ever as he walked, keeping his gaze fixed ahead and not on Multimouse. He seemed lost in thought but also defensive. Multimouse also noted that he was walking with a limping gate. Was his injury bothering him? She assumed the camp had a healer of some kind, right?

Luckily, Queen Bee wasn't afraid to push into Chat's business. "Chat, you look like my Daddy before he puked up his booze. What's going on?"

Chat Noir frowned and hugged himself before he straightened and coughed. "M'fine," he mumbled. Multimouse wasn't convinced, but he just kept walking, and they all fell into silence.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The sky was dark by the time they reached Paris, but the city was alight with street lamps and people bustling as they hung banners and decorated the streets with flowers.

"Are they getting ready for a celebration?" Multimouse murmured as she crouched between her new allies.

Queen Bee snorted. "It's her highness's birthday tomorrow. She needs to go all out as if her birthday is more important than the rest of our country's holidays. More money than even _I_ can comprehend goes into her preparations."

"How great to know our taxes are going into celebrations for our queen," Rena Rouge grumbled.

"Not surprised, but it still pisses me off," Chat growled.

They all nodded their agreements then pulled their cloaks around their bodies to hide their costumes. Pulling up their hoods meant it was a little harder to see their masks. They moved as one and slipped onto the back of an inconspicuous cart carrying in more flowers for the decorations. Hiding among the petals, Multimouse wrinkled her nose and then let out a soft sniffling sneeze.

Chat's green eyes met hers, and she blushed. To her bewilderment, his mouth twisted like he was trying not to laugh at her. The nerve!

Queen Bee elbowed her painfully in the ribs as they slipped passed the guards, and they were none the wiser. The driver of the cart turned them onto a side street alleyway then stopped his horse. He jumped down and pulled back the cover. It was Viperion. His blue eyes gleamed behind his snake-themed mask.

"Could've warned us that lilies make you sneeze," he grumped at Multimouse as the other girls and Chat slipped down from the cart.

Multimouse narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "They normally don't. It was just... bad luck."

He smirked at her, and she felt Chat bristle beside her. "And here I thought you were bringing us good luck, Miss Multimouse."

Chat growled. "We're inside. We have a mission to do." He brushed passed them and glanced out at the citizens still preparing for Queen Lila's birthday.

Multimouse shrugged at Viperion then moved stealthily with Rena and Queen Bee at her side. They moved as a small group and tried to look as normal as possible. Luckily, it was dark, and nobody paid them much attention as they were so absorbed in their tasks.

"We're meeting Hawk Moth in the treasury," Chat murmured as he hurried to walk at her side. "We're going to slip inside and then move down to the dungeon to break out your mentor."

She stopped and stared at him. "But... I thought you and Viperion were joining him?" She was supposed to help them breech the castle defenses then slip away to rescue Emilie.

"Change of plans," Chat murmured, looking uncomfortable. "Sorry, mouse. We need you."

"What if we don't have time to rescue her?" Multimouse hissed as they walked along the impending castle walls. "They could kill her tomorrow!"

He shushed her then sighed as they hid in a doorway. Queen Bee and Rena rushed by them to guard the hall for them, but she was supposed to have broken off on her own. They had discussed the plan the night before...

More lies. Perfect.

Chat huffed at her when she didn't move and then took her arm before she could protest, leading her down a hall passed several unconscious soldiers. Multimouse hoped they weren't dead, but she didn't stop to check.

Part of her wanted to break free and take off, but she knew it would be several minutes before most of the guards were disabled. She wouldn't be able to go into the dungeons on her own, rescue Emilie, then escape on her own. She would be captured or even killed on the spot, and she would be useless to her mentor. This is what kept her from deserting Chat and taking her own path.

They made their way through many corridors, following a trail of crumpled soldiers who had been put out of commission. She drew her whip to be safe as they turned a corner that was supposed to be the treasury.

If they had not been breaking in, Multimouse would've stopped to appreciate the gorgeous decor that led into the treasury. So many tapestries adorned the wall and depicted ancient battles and former royalty. Golden peacock statues flanked the heavy doors ahead of them, and two figures were standing there and waiting.

Hawk Moth and Mayura were waiting for them, and Multimouse felt a weird twist in her stomach. She couldn't place it - maybe it was the aura Hawk Moth gave off - but it made her want to turn tail and run.

God, she really should've listened to her instincts.

The Akumas' leader smiled when he spotted them. "You made it then."

"The plan went smoothly," Chat Noir said quietly. "But we could be caught at any moment."

"Then let us get this over with." Hawk Moth had the keys which she assumed he snatched from one of the many guards now lying prone in the hall behind them, and used them to open the heavy set of doors.

She should've thought back as to why he waited for them - why he didn't just open the doors himself while they hurried off to rescue Emilie while he got his stupid staff. Sure, it was beautiful and a work of art that her eye could appreciate, but she cared about Emilie more.

Chat seemed as relaxed as he could be, with maybe just a little pale tinge to his skin, as they made their way into the treasure room. Hawk Moth and Mayura followed suit.

Multimouse gasped at the literal _hills_ of gold coins that made up their surroundings. She could make out precious stones scattered here and there as well: rubies the size of apples, sapphires that were large enough to be used as weapons.

Chat gasped, and Multimouse glanced at him before following his gaze to the center of the room.

Poised on a dais in the direct middle of the room was a magnificent staff. Paintings did not give the work of art justice. The intricate golden dragons that encircled the handle had glowing rubies for eyes and were made of solid gold. Moving up to the top, the head of the staff has a bade of a lotus flower that was open and held a luminous diamond that held up the very top piece: the yin-yang that represented the ladybug and black cat.

"It's beautiful," Multimouse murmured.

Chat nodded, his mouth slightly open in awe. Despite their differences, Multimouse couldn't help but feel amusement for seeing the childlike wonder on his face still partially hidden by a mask. He approached the platform where the staff rested, his footsteps slow and deliberate.

Multimouse, who happened to glance back, froze when she saw that Viperion was now in the room as well.

"What-"

Then Mayura moved with the speed and agility of a pouncing leopard. Before Multimouse could do more than cry a warning, Mayura had struck Chat in the side. His agonized cry of pain tears at her heart, and Multimouse rushed to his side as the cat bandit crumpled to the ground.

He wheezed as she knelt beside him. He was clutching his injured side and curled up to protect his belly with his knees.

"What the hell!?" Multimouse snarled, her eyes narrowing at Mayura, but the peacock-themed bandit merely smiles with malice.

Soft footsteps interrupt the venom Multimouse was ready to spew out. Hawk Moth was climbing onto the dais, moving at a casual pace of one browsing the market place. He grabbed the staff and his face lit up. "At last!" he said softly. "It's mine!"

"But-" Multimouse faltered, realizing her foolishness. Hawk Moth had never intended to start over and give the kingdom back to the people... or at least pick a fairer ruler. He wanted the power for himself.

"Traitor!" she snarled at him, still crouched beside the quivering Chat. "You never cared for the people!"

"Oh, but I do," Hawk Moth murmured, caressing the staff lovingly as the jewels sparked brightly in the torchlight. "I care about ruling them all."

Mayura moved to his side, holding her fan and giving Multimouse a sinister smile.

Lastly, Viperion looked conflicted, and Multimouse experienced a rush of hope that he wouldn't go along with this... this madness. The young man's blue eyes were wide and nervous behind his snake-themed mask, and they kept darting in between her and Chat and the pair of smirking villains. He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing, and then he walked toward them....

And right up to Hawkmoth and Mayura.

Multimouse narrowed her eyes furiously and drew her whip, ready to take out all three of them on her own.

Mayura jumped forward with her own weapon, and they face off.

It is clear that Multimouse is outmatched, but she fights for her chance to escape with her injured friend. She no longer cared for getting the staff; she just wanted to get Chat out of the castle and to someone who could tend to his injuries.

The pair were locked in a deadly dance as they jumped around precious treasure and dodged one another's blows. Multimouse was younger and more limber, but Mayura had been fighting longer than the little mouse had been on this Earth.

A solid punch to Mayura's heavily made up face sends the woman sprawling, but before Multimouse could attempt to back away with Chat, Hawk Moth moved in and struck her in the temple with his cane.

She vaguely heard Chat Noir cry out in panic for her, and then... darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Part 4, the final (?) chapter, will be up soon!
> 
> Feedback, kudos, and vague prompy ideas for the Multichat series are always welcome! ♥


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long-awaited reunion.
> 
> Enemies square off.

The first thing Multimouse was aware of as she regained consciousness was a warm presence at her side. Someone was stroking her hair off her forehead with the tenderness of a doting mother. Her heart ached at the thought, for she missed her own mother just thinking about it.

She swallowed, her tongue feeling like a wad of cotton in her mouth, and opened her eyes blearily.

Blonde hair and green eyes swam in her vision, and for a moment, she thought it was Chat Noir kneeling beside her, but then she realized no black mask outlined the jade irises. 

She blinked a few times, and the face came into greater focus. She let out a strangled sound that was half relieved and half afraid. "Emilie!" Though her head throbbed, she sat up and embraced her deeply missed mentor.

"I missed you," Emilie whispered in her ear as her arms pulled her apprentice closer.

"You're alive," Multimouse croaked in reply.

She pulled back then stared at their surroundings. They were in a dimly lit cell made out of roughly cut rock on three sides and bars stretched floor to ceiling on the fourth. She air smelled stale and damp along with the scents of dirty people and decay.

"Let me guess," she murmured as she sat back on her heels. "We're in the dungeons."

Emilie nodded. Her mentor looked thin and haggered. After a week apart, it seemed her gentle-natured friend had not been fed adequately. It had been some time since she bathed as well.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Multimouse asked. Her signature twin buns were absent, her black hair brushing her shoulders after battling Mayura and being knocked out. She absently started making fresh bunches as Emilie frowned.

"A few hours," she answered softly. "I worried, but it looks as if you have a gash on your temple and a bump on the back of your head."

"Brilliant." The mouse bandit rubbed at her sore head and grimaced upon feeling the goose egg that had formed on her skull.

Emilie sat back and frowned. "I thought you were be reckless and try to rescue me, but you shouldn't have risked your life and freedom for me."

"We're family," Multimouse said firmly. "I didn't hesitate to go after you." She narrowed her eyes as yet another betrayal sunk in, though this one should've been more obvious to her from the beginning. From the moment she clapped eyes on Hawk Moth, her instincts had been insisting there was something off about him. Now she was paying for it, and so, her heart sank, had Chat Noir.

She suddenly turned her face to Emilie. "Was someone else brought down here with me?"

Emilie shook her head. "No. Did you have help?"

Multimouse nodded. "The renegade knight, Chat Noir, was helping me."

Unless it had all been a many layered betrayal, and him being kicked down had been an act to throw her off. Again.

Her mentor frowned. "I had heard of him before, but he never ventured too close to our village." She blinked slowly in wonder. "He was... helping you?"

Multimouse gripped her arms and stood up slowly, her balance not what it usually was, but she felt better with each passing moment. "He was. We had... disagreements, but I thought we were allies." Her heart ached in spite of herself because she still felt affection for him despite her suspicions.

Emilie sighed deeply. "I hope he's alright if he was kind to you."

Grateful that the dimly lit torches didn't give off much light, Multimouse turned her pink face away from her companion. "Me too."

Just then, heavy footsteps could be heard along with a scuffling sound.

Multimouse moved to stand in between Emilie and the door at the end of the hall flanked by other cells. She couldn't make out in any other prisoners, but she felt tension in the air as the footfalls and scrambling noises grew ever closer.

Then the door burst open and a tall figure lead the way while three more people followed. More accurately, two people followed while dragging a third in between them.

Multimouse clenched her fists as Hawk Moth's masked face passed by the torchlight. His eyes burned with an internal flame of malice that made the flickering torches on the wall look feeble. He stopped in front of their cell and chortled at Multimouse's murderous expression.

"It looks as if the little mouse has found herself in a cage at long last," murmured the Akumas' leader.

"Come closer, and I can tell you just how it feels," she murmured venomously. Even though she knew he wouldn't take the bait, it was still satisfying to imagine herself slamming his face into the bars of their cell - possibly breaking his nose in the process.

Hawk Moth just gave her a dark look then stepped back. "Too bad your kitty doesn't have the same enthusiasm you do."

Multimouse opened her mouth to snap back, but then she caught sight of the young man slumped down on his knees in between Hawk Moth's two goons.

Chat Noir was barely conscious, his head lulling on his shoulders. His cute little faux cat ears were just clinging to his hair which was matted with sweat and dirt. His poor face was a blotchy mess of bruises all over his cheeks and brow, and his lip was split open. To top it all off, his shirt was torn, so Multimouse was given a full view of his lower chest and stomach, which was covered in dirt and bruised up as well with purple blotches.

"Chat..." She couldn't stop her horrified whisper.

Hawk Moth grinned and jerked his head to the side. One of the men dropped Chat's arm and pulled open the cell door while the other bodily threw the poor cat bandit onto the cold and filthy floor.

The door crashed shut just as Multimouse dropped to her knees beside her friend and pulled his head against her shoulder. Hawk Moth, instead of leaving, remained a little longer to rub salt in the wounds.

"So easily broken," he was saying matterfactly. "He was a weakling as a child. It didn't surprise me too much he's hardly changed."

Chat shivered as Multimouse brushed his blonde hair away from his mask barely clinging to his face. When she didn't get snippy, Hawk Moth didn't have the fuel to throw more taunts at her, so he left with his too looming companions.

After the door was closed, Emilie hurried forward and joined Multimouse to assess Chat's injuries. 

"Poor boy," she murmured as she examined his wounds both old and new. "They really didn't try to spare him any pain..."

"The wound on his side is from a couple days ago," Multimouse informed her. "He fell... I thought it was getting better."

"It looks as if it's starting to putrefy," Emilie said nervously. She bit her lip then turned and hurried to a corner. Multimouse stared at her. "What-"

"I hid your bag under my dress," she said as she hurried back over to them. "I don't know how they missed it, but I think Hawk Moth's followers are missing some sense." She tapped her temple to emphasize.

Multimouse smiled in a strained way then opened her bag. To her delight, plenty of the alcoholic tonic remained and fresh bandages.

Chat whimpered in pain as she laid him back. When she made to move away, his gloved hand shot out and gripped her arm. His grab was fast, but his grip was weak. He held onto her as best he could even as his breaths became ragged.

"Keep his head propped," Emilie told her as she took the bottle. "I'll tend to him."

The mouse bandit nodded absently and shifted so his head was in her lap. His eyes opened a sliver, and he looked up at her with real fear blaring in his green irises. "Hey, Kitty," she murmured as his gaze held hers. "It's going to be okay. We've got you."

She glanced at Emile then gripped Chat's hand as her mentor poured the fluid over his newly opened gash. Chat let out a sharp yowl as his back arched. He dropped back down and shuddered as Emilie began applying fresh bandages.

"Hang in there, Kitty," Multimouse soothed as he calmed his breathing. "That's the worst of it."

"Can you get his mask off?" Emilie asked her as she dug around for more bandages.

Multimouse frowned as Chat rubbed at his eyes. Streaks on his dirty cheeks marked tear tracks, and her heart swelled with protective fury. Hawk Moth was in for a world of hurt if she had anything to say about it. She, however, was reluctant to remove his mask.

Chat gulped and looked up at Multimouse. Something in his eyes told her that he was having a hard time seeing. With the mask covering the top half of his face, she couldn't see, but she thought she saw a black eye forming in the left corner of the dark fabric.

Emilie cleared her throat, raising her voice above a whisper for a first time. "I promise we won't breathe a word about your identity, Chat Noir."

Chat suddenly went rigid and blinked blearily up at Emile in an unfocused, almost drunken, way. Maybe his head had taken a few too many blows. He started murmuring something that neither woman caught. Both leaned in, and Multimouse caught his confused but hopeful whisper.

"M-...Mom?"

Emilie froze in a similar fashion Chat just had, her green eyes wide. "I... No, honey. I'm sorry." Her son had died over a year ago now. His whisper must've hurt more than she was letting on as she forced a tender smile on her face. Emilie was always so sweet with people.

"I... I haven't seen my mom in ten years," Chat whispered around his busted lip so his voice was thick. "I don't even know if she's still alive..."

Emilie reached out to stroke the boy's hair gently. "When we get out of here, we'll look for her, okay?"

Multimouse smiled at her kind mentor. 

"Can I see your eye?" Emilie asked softly.

After a long moment, Chat Noir nodded, but instead of letting them remove his mask, he reached up and grabbed the sides of it himself. He pulled the mask off of his eyes, and Multimouse saw his entire face for the first time.

His jaw was chiseled, she knew that, but his eyes were luminous and kind. His nose looked bruised if not broken, and his left eye was starting to swell shut. Minus the bruises and cuts, she could tell he was pretty under all of his injuries.

Chat looked nervous as Emile cleaned up his face and applied the medicine to his lip and cheek. He grimaced, and she smiled a little. It was when most of the dirt was washed off his face that Emilie suddenly stopped moving, her green eyes wide as she stared down at Chat Noir. He was practically falling asleep under her gentle ministrations, so he didn't notice her unexpected change in behavior at first.

Multimouse frowned and looked from the young man in her lap to her mentor. "What's... what's wrong?"

When the other woman gave no indication she had heard her, Multimouse spoke up, "Emilie?"

Chat's good eye grew round, and he was not so sleepy all of a sudden. "E-Emilie?" To Multimouse's astonishment, Chat sat up painfully, still staring at her mentor as if seeing a ghost. His chest began heaving with heavy breaths that she suspected had nothing to do with his injuries.

Multimouse looked between the two. Emilie's expression was a mix of shocked, sad, and hopeful at the same time. She swallowed and reached out to slowly cup Chat's cheek.

"Adrien?" she whispered.

Multimouse's eyes bugged out. Adrien was the name of Emilie's son. She had lost him a year ago after being killed in battle. At least... that was what she had been told. Marinette remembered the day as if it had been yesterday because she was mourning her own mother, and Emilie had just taken her in. She only had vague memories of Adrien as a child because they didn't live near one another when she was small and her mother was alive. 

Chat's eyes lit up, and it was as if he no longer felt his injuries as he moved forward, leaning into her touch and looking at her with watery eyes. "It's me, Mom."

Emilie choked back a sob, losing her composure, and she pulled him into a hug. He gripped her back, both of them trembling as their emotions burst out of them like a dam: over a year of heartbreak for a mother, and who knew how long Chat had been kept from his communication from his only parent. Emilie had tears pouring out of her eyes and down her cheeks as she held her son for the first time in over a decade.

"My sweet boy," she cooed, stroking his hair around his flimsy cat ears. "I thought I lost you."

"I'm here, Mom," Adrien assured her as they held one another. He was crying, too, and Multimouse suddenly felt out of place - an intruder to their happy reunion. She got up and moved off to the let the two catch up. She wiped at her own eyes absently, her heart light at the sight of her mentor and her friend discovering the other was alive.

It was sweet, but she couldn't help but think they could've reunited under better circumstances - not with a lunatic ex-commander having them locked up and at his mercy. This dank dungeon somehow seemed warmer with mother and son reconnecting after thinking the worst for so long. Still...

"Marinette?"

Multimouse recoiled upon hearing her birth name for the first time in over a week and turned to look at Emilie.

"Thank you for coming after me... and bringing my boy with you."

She smiled softly. "I didn't know he was yours, but now..." she looked between them and took in their blonde hair, luminous green eyes, and a skin tone that was sun-kissed. Now she was seeing the resemblance not just in their hair and eye color but their smiles were similar, too. "I don't know how I missed it."

Adrien... it was so weird referring to him as anything but Chat... Adrien smirked a little. "The mask didn't do you any favors." He looked down at the discarded accessory and snorted. "I hid behind it for so long..." He picked it up then sighed, looking up at her with soft eyes. "I promise... no more hiding."

She chuckled. "Sure, Kitty."

His cheeks flushed under the bruising, and he smiled. "Little Mouse... or is it Marinette?"

Her own cheeks were now crimson under her mask. "Yes. That's my birth name." She gave Emilie a look which her mentor responded with a radiant smile. Ugh.

"I guess the cat is outta the bag, huh?" Adrien asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

She scowled, and he chuckled. Handsome or not, his jokes were still terrible.

Adrien groaned and held his side, so the women converged on him. His breathing was shallow as they flushed out his wound again and applied bandaging. It looked better, so she hoped they had done what they could in time. The gash was clean, and his wincing was less.

After he was given water, the unmasked cat bandit was looking better already, but they knew it would be days or even weeks before he was healthy enough to do more than lounge about and heal. He certainly wouldn't be fighting anytime soon, so Multimouse knew it was up to her to get them out of this ratty dungeon.

Just in case, Emilie cleaned the black mask off the best she could and put it back on her son's face along with his cat ears.

"You always did like cats," she was saying with a soft smile. "I didn't think you would take it this far, though."

Now he was back in the guise of Chat Noir, the blonde boy smirked. "It was the _purr_ -fect disguise plus the cat puns tied everything together."

Multimouse snorted at the same time Emilie giggled.

~ * ~

Chat closed his eyes and rested while Multimouse and Emilie sat side by side. At one point, Chat moved over to them painfully slow to drop his head in the younger woman's lap and rest on his uninjured side. Initially pink, Multimouse had been taken aback and especially embarrassed when Emilie quirked an eyebrow and offered a knowing smile. Then she had ignored her mentor's teasing and began stroking Chat's hair off of his face which helped him rest more comfortably. 

His soft snores had Emilie looking down at him affectionately throughout their conversation as they caught one another up on what happened since Emilie was taken from the village and Multimouse became trapped in the net.

Emilie had fussed when she described being trapped but giggled along with Multimouse when she described Chat Noir's silly entrance into her life. Helping one another had been their goal until... well, meeting the Akumas. She described Rena Rouge and Queen Bee to her mentor to which the older woman smiled.

Then she explained about the situation with Hawk Moth, and Emilie narrowed her eyes. "I was never told his true name, but I received a letter around five years ago that Adrien's mentor had died in battle, but he was given a new one. That was... the last letter I received until..." Her eyes became wet again as she looked down at the sleeping boy resting across Multimouse's lap. She reached down and stroked his hair slowly as if reassuring herself that her son was there and alive despite what her last letter from the knighthood had said.

"They probably didn't want to admit he left them," Multimouse grumbled. She glanced nervously down at Chat, but he seemed deeply asleep. She lowered her voice anyway. "I feel... out of place telling you, but he said he was treated badly by Hawk Moth both before and after he left the knighthood. I can... I can believe it. You saw him..."

Emilie's face hardened, and Multimouse knew she was thankful she wasn't in Hawk Moth's shoes. Emilie was going to wish he had never been born for hurting her child.

Chat snuffed in his sleep and rubbed his cheek against her leg as he snuggled closer. He really was sweet, and she was seeing now he never meant her harm. Hawk Moth had been abusing him for at least half a decade and manipulating him. She rubbed the back of his head just behind his fake cat ears, and made a silent promise that she would get him far away from Hawk Moth and that rat bastard would never touch him again.

~ * ~

Sometime later, while Emilie slept lightly beside her and Chat still rested in her lap, Multimouse was awoken by a door creaking open and hushed voices.

She opened her eyes a sliver in case it was Hawk Moth again and she needed to give him a thorough verbal lashing, but the figures sneaking towards their cell were shorter and wore more vibrant outfits. As they got closer, Multimouse opened her eyes fully and gently tapped Chat's shoulder. 

Rena Rouge smiled as she gripped the bars and stared at them. "You're alive!" she said happily. "We were worried-"

"WE!?" exclaimed her companion. 

Multimouse smiled as Queen Bee stomped up beside the fox bandit. " _You_ may have been worried, but I knew that Hawk Moth wouldn't have to guts to kill them. He needs someone to blame for all the chaos he's created."

"What about the Queen?" Multimouse asked.

Rena narrowed her eyes. "Queen Lila was in league with him the entire time. He said so earlier when he gathered all of us. She was in a weird outfit that looked like a half-assed version of mine and called herself Volpina."

"She has all the money in the world, and her outfit was so cheap!" Queen Bee shrieked at the offense.

"It's good to see you too, Chloé," Chat Noir murmured as he got shakily to his feet.

"Adrikins!" Queen Bee squeaked as Rena Rouge began digging in her bag. "I saw what they did! Are you... all right?"

Chat lowered his eyes. "I'm better now... thanks to Mari-... Multimouse and my mom." He smiled warmly at the blonde woman beside him, and she rubbed his back affectionately. 

Queen Bee's jaw almost hit the dungeon's grimy floor. "Your... your _mom!?_ "

"Hi, Chloé, honey," Emilie greeted her warmly. "It's been a long time."

Rena produced a set of keys with a happy flourish and then quickly unlocked the cell door. It swung open with a creak, and Queen Bee shoved Rena aside to throw her arms around Emilie.

Multimouse smiled when Rena hugged her. "We're busting you out. Hawk Moth... he went too far." Her brown eyes landed on Chat as he, too, hugged Queen Bee and murmured to her as Emilie did. "I've seen him strike people before, but he just..."

"He snapped," whispered Queen Bee, looking scared for the first time since Multimouse had met her. "He... We thought he killed you, Adrikins."

"Mayura and Viperion made sure nobody interfered," growled Rena. "Anyone who tried to help Chat was..." She lifted her mask to show her left eye - a bruised black not quite as severe as Chat's but still a shiner. She lowered her mask again, and Chat Noir swallowed thickly. 

"Rena... you shouldn't have gotten between-" Chat looked guilty.

Queen Bee snorted. "You missed me giving Viperion a kick to his manhood. He dropped like a sack of bricks." Her words dripped with satisfaction as if it weren't the first time she had wanted to kick the snake bandit.

Multimouse's eyes widened as she fought not to laugh.

"Leave it to Chloé to be the one to make her point by slamming a man where it hurts," Chat chuckled though he grimaced towards the end.

"It's Queen BEE!" snarled his friend. "Honestly, Adrikins, if you weren't injured..."

"Then quit calling me 'Adrikins'," he retorted.

"Both of you knock it off," Rena interrupted. "Break out first. Banter later." She then turned to Multimouse and Chat. "I believe these are yours." She handed over her whip and his sword to which both felt relief at being reunited with their weapons.

Emilie frowned at her son as he sheathed his sword. "I don't think you should be fighting, sweetheart. You're hurt and in no shape-"

"I'll be fine, Mom." Chat smiled softly and moved to stand beside Multimouse. "I won't do anything too crazy."

"I'll hold you to that," Multimouse told him, flicking one of his cat ears playfully. "Don't worry, Emilie. I'll watch out for your boy."

Emilie smiled gratefully as Chat Noir blushed brilliantly behind his mask.

~ * ~

The group of bandits moved as one to encircle Emilie to make sure she was protected. Chat took the rear position while Queen Bee and Multimouse flanked her. Rena took point to lead them out quickly and quietly. The rest of the Akumas were firmly on Hawk Moth's side, so they were outnumbered if they were to be caught.

"Up here." Rena hurried them down a corridor that was empty save several unconscious Rossi knights and akumas.

"Did you two do all of this?" Multimouse whispered.

"The Akumas - yes," Rena replied quietly to her.

"Mostly me," Queen Bee put in. Her blue eyes glittered under her gold and black mask. She patted her thighs to display her twin knives. She pulled them out and twirled them once before holding them at the ready under her cloak.

"I had to navigate," hissed Rena.

"I'm grateful to both of you," Emilie murmured, softly cutting across the young women. 

Multimouse clenched her hand around her whip, wishing she had her knife as well but that had been confiscated... or lost after she was knocked out by Hawk Moth.

They resumed their quick but careful trek through the quiet castle - all of them were now armed with Emilie having taken a sword off of a fallen knight. Multimouse had been taken aback, but had not questioned her mentor.

Chat was holding his sword loosely at his side, but she hated the thought of him fighting while he was so badly hurt. His side concerned her the most after getting the wound freshly opened and apparently kicked in judging by the patchwork of bruises that now decorated his chest and stomach. He wouldn't talk about what was done to him, but Multimouse had seen people who had been abused by the Rossi knights. The aftermath had not been pretty: bruises galore, cuts, bloody noses, and even broken bones. She didn't think Chat had any broken bones, for Emilie had not felt any, but they had been in a barely lit dungeon. When this was over, he would get a proper exam from a physician. 

And Hawk Moth would need his own physician, or ten, when Multimouse was through with him.

Rena was leading them along a wall that separated the castle from the rest of the village. It was late in the day with sunset to occur in the next hour or so judging by its current position in the sky. 

Queen Bee took point as the neared the edge of the wall and peered around it. She cursed softly. "Six Akumas. I can't tell who they are from here, but I know none of them are our former leaders."

"I can't believe we decided to join them," Rena Rouge muttered miserably. "I really thought wer were helping our people."

"He lied to all of us," Chat Noir told her softly. His face was pale, and he was keeping his non-dominant arm pressed against his side. He was in pain, and Multimouse regretted not having any herbs to numb his discomfort.

Rena and Queen Bee nodded, seemingly assured they were all in the same boat in being tricked by a man they had respected.

Multimouse moved closer to her friend and whispered, "Can you make it, Kitty?"

His mouth twitched from her nickname. He rubbed at his forehead and then flexed his shoulders. "I've been better. Don't fuss, Little Mouse."

She frowned stubbornly, and he smiled softly at her. "I"ll be _purr-_ fect once we're out of here." Then he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

Heat exploded over her face, and she was grateful for her mask covering most of her embarrassing blush. Chat smiled tenderly then turned his attention back to the front as Rena motioned them around the wall.

Emilie caught her eye, and she ducked her head to avoid the twinkling in her mentor's green eyes that so resembled her kitty's.

~ * ~

"So incompetent," Queen Bee hissed as the group of them snuck passed the Akumas who were chatting beside their fire pit and drinking. "Utterly incompetent." The growing darkness, the exuberant decorations, and the less than watchful guards made their slipping out of the castle grounds simpler than Multimouse could've predicated.

"Can't you keep your mouth shut for two seconds?" growled Rena Rouge.

"It's just stupid!" Queen Bee hissed.

"Apparently not," Rena mumbled, and Multimouse grinned.

"My father's guards were better than this." The bee bandit snorted. "Which is saying something because if they weren't drinking, they were-"

Chat Noir put a gloved hand over her mouth to stop her never-ending chatter. Just in time, too, because a group of Rossi knights passed right by the alleyway they were hunkered down in.

Queen Bee kept mostly quiet after that.

They would've made it if it hadn't been for Chat Noir's reaction to feathers.

Mere yards from the main gate, they were tiptoeing passed an enormous cart loaded with roses when Multimouse caught a rustling. Chat Noir froze beside her. His eyes were round - his pupils nearly swallowing up his green irises.

"Chat?" she whispered, heart thundering because they were _so close_. Why was he stopping?!

Queen Bee cursed colorfully, and the others paused to look at what she was glowering at.

"Of course, that spoiled brat purchased swans!"

The enormous white birds were sitting in cages among the roses on one of the carts. One was napping while the other was looking in their direction.

"How is that-?" Multimouse's words died in her throat while she watched Chat rub at his nose and sniffle softly. His eyes looked watery, and it took her moment to realize he was having a similar reaction she had to some types of flowers. Sometimes she merely became irritated, but he was having a much more severe reaction.

Chat Noir covered the lower half of his face with both hands, and Multimouse covered his hands with hers. He whimpered in panic then took a deep breath and nodded as the tickling sensation in his nose and throat faded.

They crept as quickly as possible passed the carts and towards the gate, guarded by four men, but they could take them. They just had to-

"AHHH-CHOOO!"

Nobody moved for a heartbeat then the group of them began sprinting as one towards the entrance. If they just made it into the woods, they would have a chance to scatter and get away...

Queen Bee was maybe a leap away from the gate when they were surrounded. Rossi knights and Akumas swarmed them because, of course, now they were actually doing their jobs.

Rena drew her twin blades as Queen Bee did they same, and they squared off with their own opponents.

Chat Noir straightened, now a distance from the swans and their treacherous feathers, and drew his rapier. He moved to stand in between his mother and their enemies, his stance solid despite his injuries.

Multimouse held onto her whip as Emilie passed her a knife. She blinked as her mentor handed her the deadly weapon. 

"Took it off a knight," Emilie murmured with a wink. She held her stolen sword at the ready as she stepped forward to fight alongside her son.

Well, now Multimouse had _several_ questions. Since when did Emilie know how to use swords!? Her stance was solid; her grip on the blade was correct; her movements-

Emilie leapt at a hooded Akuma and began engaging him in a vigorous duel. 

Chat seemed as stunned as her for a moment then shook himself and started advancing on his own opponent. 

Multimouse used her whip to keep enemies back and buy her friends time to disable their opponents and not have to face multiple at once.

Queen Bee was truly an extraordinary fighter. She moved with all of the elegance of a dancer: flipping and twirling to dodge blows and striking weak points such as the neck, lower back, or the knee then finishing them off with a stab.

Rena had a more direct approach in using her knives and moving into her enemy's reach to surprise them. A quick dispatch before she was on to the next one.

Emilie was more dainty and clearly out of practice but still holding her own. She had taken down her first opponent but was getting crowded by more. Multimouse quickly lashed with her whip and yanked her mentor behind her.

Chat Noir was still standing, and his sword work was unlike anything Multimouse had seen. He was like a living shadow, darting around his foes and using his speed to overwhelm them.

For a few moments, Multimouse allowed the illusion that they may just have a chance of escaping.

But a dozen guards were quickly replaced, and they were being pushed in. Soon, she was back to back with Chat and flanked on either side by Rena and Queen Bee as they closed in around Emilie.

All at once, the Akumas and knights stopped before stepping back.

"I must admit," a dark voice rang out in the darkness. The only source of light were the torches at the gate and the bonfire started by the Akumas. The group of fighters parted, allowing Hawk Moth to step into view. Mayura and Viperion were at his side as usual. "You got further than I expected."

Hawk Moth looked from one bandit to the next before smiling coldly. "Disarm them," he commanded.

Rough hands pulled Multimouse's whip and knife from her hands. She felt rather than saw Chat and Emilie having their weapons confiscated as well. Rena bared her teeth in a silent snarl as she stood beside Multimouse.

Hawk Moth turned his steely gaze onto Chat Noir. "I'm shocked you're still standing, Adrien. How are your ribs fairing?"

Furious, Multimouse put herself in between Chat and Hawk Moth, her fists clenched. "Leave him alone!" Anger she had not felt since watching her mother murdered last year was coursing through her veins. 

"Mouse," Chat murmured, taking her hand and trying to pull her back.

"No!" she hissed, pulling away. She gave him a quick, apologetic look before turning back to Hawk Moth. "You think you're so powerful when you can't even fight your own battles! You send your Akumas out to do your dirty work while you sit back and watch!"

Her voice rang out in the quiet courtyard - only the sounds of the heavy breathing given off by the fighters and faint crackling of the flames could be heard.

"You're no better than the monarchs who rule us now!" Multimouse went on, her voice gaining strength. "They sit back with their wealth and their power while those lower than them fight and die to protect their families. They more than likely _start_ the conflicts in the first place, and they shield themselves in their big castles while an army of soldiers guards them night and day."

At this, hushed voices began murmuring to one another.

Hawk Moth narrowed his eyes behind his mask. "I am more than capable of fighting my own battles, you foolish girl!"

"Then prove it!" Multimouse fired back.

She heard Emilie gasp softly behind her and Chat Noir's protesting growl, but she ignored them. She had eyes for nobody but the man who had lied to her and dozens of others; the man who had promised to overthrow the monarchs and their unjust system; the man who had nearly killed her friend - after beating him. That wasn't even the first time he had done so. This man had hurt her kitty, and she was going to make him pay.

Hawk Moth's luminous eyes darted around the courtyard. His Akumas and the Rossi knights were watching him expectantly.

"Fight me, Hawk Moth. One-on-one." Multimouse now had a calmer heartbeat than before. "If you win, you get me, and my companions will-"

"Die at your side," growled Rena Rouge, her fists clenched. "I'm not going back to being one of his brainwashed followers. My sister would be ashamed if I sunk so low."

Queen Bee stomped forward. "I'm not being made a fool of again. Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Chat stepped up to Multimouse's other side and looked down at her. His eyes were full of mixed emotions as he smirked a little. "I'll stay by her side always, m'lady."

Her heart lurched a little, and she blinked hard.

Emilie whispered, "I'm not going to let him rule me either."

Feeling renewed courage, Multimouse turned her gaze back on the Akumas' leader. "If I win, my friends and I go free."

She watched rage and something that resembled fear flash on Hawk Moth's face. He gripped his cane so hard, she saw his hand begin to shake.

If he refused her, he would look like a coward and lose face in front of all of his disciples. He would lose his hold on them and prove Multimouse's claims correct. Even if he had her killed, he would be seen as nothing but a coward who would have his own servants take her out. Even if he killed her now, she was unarmed.

Hawk Moth had only one choice.

"Give her a sword," he snarled at his Akumas.

"Give her mine," Chat Noir said quickly. She glanced at him, and she saw him putting his hand over his side. She thought she saw dampness, but he covered it and gave her a strained smile. "You've got this."

She nodded and stepped forward. The man who had taken Chat's sword walked forward and handed it over without looking at her. The others stepped back.

"Her friends cannot interfere." Hawk Moth leered. "If any of them step forward, kill them."

Multimouse swallowed and shrugged off her cloak. Emilie took it and moved back to stand in between Queen Bee and her son. Her drawn face showed worry, but she smiled a little at her.

Taking a breath, Multimouse gripped Chat's sword in her hand and stared down her opponent. "Your move, Hawk Moth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I went waaay over what I thought this chapter would be, so for the sake of not making this chapter overly busy, there will be 5 chapters. Possibly a fluffy epilogue, too. ❤
> 
> I apologize for the update taking so long.
> 
> You guys are amazing for giving my fics so much love! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Multimouse vs. Hawk Moth
> 
> A hopeful fresh start... for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Life decided to blindside me. >.<
> 
> Thank you all so much, those who stuck with this little story. I enjoyed writing it more than anticipated. I'm happy to wrap this up to focus on future fics, but I'm also a little sad it ends here. ♥

Bodies were dragged away and carts of flowers pushed aside to clear room for the two duelers. Akumas rushed to pull their fallen away with their various wounds. Some were clearly not going to survive while others clung to life with their fingertips. Multimouse felt a twinge of regret, but that was quickly stifled when she stepped back and saw her friends were sporting injuries.

Queen Bee was holding her side and breathing shallowly through her nose. Rena Rouge was attempting to stifle the flow of blood on her brow with her hand, her eyes alert and meeting hers with gleaming determination.

Multimouse felt a sense of warmth surge through her. She looked over at Emilie who appeared unhurt as she locked eyes with her. She nodded solemnly and lifted her head proudly - resembling a queen in posture despite her unruly kept hair and clothing.

Last was Chat Noir who smiled lopsidedly at her, his green eyes tenderly meeting hers. His chest heaved a little as he pressed his arm against his injuries, but despite his pale complexion and clear exhaustion, he was smiling at her confidentially. 

Now her heart was hammering against her ribs. Promises were in those eyes - promises of a future, promises of a life where struggles were fewer; promises of a better place to live for commoners. They would fight and they would fight together. They were partners.

She held his weapon, which felt warm and comforting in her hand despite her never having wielded it before. She had handled many swords in her life, but she was more comfortable with a knife or a whip. She wasn't stupid, though. She wouldn't last long against Hawk Moth with her trusty whip. The mouse bandit lifted the rapier slightly, and the onyx colored blade gleamed in the torchlight. It was still stained from Chat battling just minutes before, but it was no less sharp.

Hawk Moth was holding a shorter and broader blade - a typical sword carried by Rossi soldiers. She knew he carried a cane, but like her whip, it would be no good in a sword fight. Both of them locked eyes then, at the same moment, began circling in the empty space left for them by their fellows.

Hawk Moth's expression was like ice - cold, unmoving, and smooth. His back was straight and his legs crossed one of the other as they squared off.

Multimouse was holding Chat's sword tightly in her grip, her eyes locked on her opponent and no one else. They were far enough away from the watchers that they would need to make a real effort to hurt any of them, and that helped her focus.

"How interesting that one of France's most infamous bandits be stopped by a rival bandit." He smirked. "We both want the same thing - for the poor to rise up."

"You want to take over!" Multimouse snapped. "And I've seen personally how you treat people who disagree with you." She nodded at her comrades who were now on Hawk Moth's right and across from her.

Hawk Moth simply waved his empty hand as if him beating Chat Noir within an inch of his life was no serious matter. "Traitors will be treated as such. Disloyalty will not be tolerated. If you are not with us, you are against us."

Multimouse had flames of anger licking at her insides, but she fought to stifle them. She couldn't afford to let rage overtake her thinking or she would definitely lose. And die. 

"Fear is not the same as loyalty," Multimouse said calmly. "When people fear you, they fight until someone else who is even scarier gives them a reason to turn on you. Loyal followers stay by you no matter how hard life gets."

She was now moving in front of her friends, and she felt rather than saw Chat's gaze on her - a comforting warmth on her back as if her were putting a comforting hand on her. 

Hawk Moth snorted. "Loyalty means they trust you and they are weak."

"They are the difference between trust and submission," Multimouse growled. "Your people originally followed you because they believed you had the same goal." She clenched her fists. "And as soon as they figured out your true intentions, they disagreed, and you beat them into submission. I'm sure more than one of them has had their families threatened with harm if they went up against you."

Her opponent leered at her. "Are you still angry I broke your kitty?"

She stiffened in spite of herself. The pure malice in his eyes sent shivers down her spine, but she held onto her anger to keep from recoiling in fear. She clenched her jaw. "You didn't break him!" she snapped. "You beating him just _proves_ what I've been saying! You hurt him when he was younger, so he wasn't prepared to fight for you when he saw what you were doing!"

True, she had not been present for his beatings, but she knew he was hurt because he chose to side with her and not with the Akumas.

"He's weak, just like you," Hawk Moth snarled. "And once you've been taken care of, the cat will follow!"

Multimouse snapped at the threat of him killing Chat. She lunged with Chat's sword aiming right for her opponent's neck. 

He laughed and met her blade with his own. He pushed back and took a swing at her, but she ducked and stepped back. She engaged, and the duel was on. Their swords clashed and sparks flew from metal on metal. Their eyes locked as sweat broke out over their faces. 

The next few moments were a blur of her just trying to keep his blade away from anything... vital. Like her neck or her torso for instance. She tumbled and danced around Hawk Moth as they collided again and again. Her speed and nimbly movements were matched by his experience and cold fighting style. He fought without emotion, and that's what Multimouse was running on. 

She was determined to fight for her friends, for Emilie, for the people back in her village... for Adrien. She pressed, and Hawk Moth faltered, so she moved in for the disarm.

By the time she realized he was feinting, she was already pushing her weight behind the blow. She was moving forward, and Hawk Moth's smile was triumphant as he slashed upward.

"NO!" Emilie's shriek echoed in her ears as Hawk Moth's blade sank into her flesh. She let out a surprised gasp and rolled to collapse on her front.

"MARINETTE!"

Chat's pained shout tore her heart up, but she remained still, instinct telling her to remain down. She took small, calming breaths as she took inventory. She was hurt, the excruciating throbbing in her leg and shoulder confirmed it, but she wasn't going to die right away. Hawk Moth's blade had missed vital organs, thank the gods, but she would need tending to before long.

"That," Hawk Moth as saying as he took heavy breaths and paced around her apparently fallen form. "Is what happens when you try and be bigger than me - overpower _me_." His boots kicked up dirt was he walked passed Multimouse's arm. His toe knocked her arm away, and that hurt, but not enough to do serious damage. She kept her eyes closed and did her best to keep her face hidden by her other arm.

"Only with an iron hand and no room for error can we overcome and rule." He was talking like he had just been crowned king himself. It was sickening to Multimouse, but she kept her form still and waited. 

Because she had learned over the course of the last couple of days, the Akuma leader's weakness: he liked to hear himself talk. If he thought he had won, he would talk and talk and she could make her move when he least expected it.

He went on, "I will be a much better ruler. With this..." Multimouse cracked open her eyes a sliver to see as he took the Miraculous Staff from Mayura and held it aloft. "We will lead France into a new era where the middle class rules and the aristocrats pay for their crimes."

His ending was persuasive enough, but she couldn't help but notice his wording at the beginning.

"You?" came Rena Rouge's voice, sounding puzzled. "You said, 'I will be a much better ruler.' I thought we were taking over together?"

That sly fox caught it, too.

Ominous muttering began among the watchers.

"What, did you think we could have a council or group that would make the decisions by selecting options and agreeing on the best outcome?"

Silence.

Then the muttering started again.

"You misfits and gutter rats wouldn't know the first thing about running a country," snarled Hawk Moth, only partially silencing the grumblings around him. "Of course we need a ruler, and that will be me!"

This time, the whispers grew in quantity and volume, and Multimouse took that as her cue to sit up and stand slowly as to not throw her weight down on her injured leg.

Loud gasps and Chat's happy, impulsive shout of relief greeted her as she stared down Hawk Moth's back. "Interesting," she said loudly, causing the Akuma leader to whip around, eyes wide and shocked behind his mask. "I was waiting for you to admit that yourself."

"You-!" Hawk Moth choked, his eyes moving over her. He caught sight of her stab wound which was bleeding freely but located on her shoulder. Her leg wound was less serious but impeded her a little more. She stood straight and shook her head back to let her hair fall and then she slowly removed her now damaged and virtually useless mask.

"Me," Marinette confirmed, her smile sly even as blood dripped from a slice on her cheek. "Your aim seems to need some work, Hawk Moth." She picked up Chat's sword and twirled it once before letting it hang at her side. He was far enough away from her that if he tried anything, she had time to react.

"In more than one way. None of these people wanted a new ruler who will just milk them for all their worth then dispose of them the moment they're considered useless by you. They want a ruler who will take care of them, listen to their needs, and be as fair as possible." Multimouse stood her ground.

Then, before either she or Hawk Moth could move, the whispering, which had died down the moment she stood up, began again. In addition to this, the crowd began to part. Confused, Multimouse watched as a young woman dressed in immaculate purple and orange silks moved through the sea of onlookers. The dress and her robes brushed the ground in its length, and Multimouse was sure the jewelry adorning the woman's neck and hands could feed her and her entire village. Until she had grandchildren.

All of the soldiers wearing the peacock emblem straightened and bowed their heads in respect. That confirmed who she was for Marinette. They were in the presence of Queen Lila. She was being escorted by two tall soldiers who held their weapons at their sides and stared ahead coldly under their helms.

A few Akumas bent their knees just like the Rossi soldiers, but most stood straight and defiant, including Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, and Chat Noir.

Marinette did her best to look as calm and composed as one could be with a steadily bleeding leg and shoulder wound while also meeting the eyes of the queen she so loathed.

"I heard your words," Queen Lila said after a dramatic pause. She was smiling slightly at Marinette. "And I must say you have a lot of courage for such a small girl."

Backhanded comment aside, Marinette felt her spine straighten just a little.

The queen smirked a little. "Living the luxurious life I retain, it keeps me protected but also ignorant." She turned her hazel eyes towards Hawk Moth. "Imagine my surprise when I followed your instructions and left the kingdom for 'my own safety' as you put it only to run into Lord Bourgeois who was going in the opposite direction."

Hawk Moth tensed, and Marinette frowned in confusion.

"He was told to meet here with me urgently to discuss defending our country from traitors. When did you plan to include me in plans for _my own country_?" Lila demanded of Hawk Moth. "Where you were going to turn my most powerful supporters against me!?"

"No, of course not, your highness," Hawk Moth said hastily, his bow low, but Marinette thought she detected more than a smidge of anger in his voice. "I merely thought it would be unsafe for you to remain in Paris with so many... dangers everywhere." And here he gave Marinette and her friends a dark look.

"It seems the only danger is you," retorted the queen softly. "You came here to steal my crown, and had I not met Lord Bourgeois and some concerned citizens on the road, I might have fallen for it."

Hawk Moth made an odd choking noise as he stood straight and glowered at the queen with true hatred. "You care nothing for your citizens! The poor starve and are beaten down!"

At this, Queen Lila winced and glanced nervously around. Most people gathered were nodding in agreement with Hawk Moth's words. As much as she disagreed with his words, Marinette knew from experience the Akuma's leader was right.

"I... I agree that my taxes are... a little high, but-" Queen Lila put a hand on her chest. "But I was not informed of these... beatings." She clutched her necklace.

She looked genuinely upset and confused, but Marinette could see the cold look in her eyes. She did know. And she was standing before everyone and _lying_.

Before she could move, a loud horn cut through the air, and this time the crowd nearly fell over one another to make way for a group of people on horses. The huge warhorses snorted and stamped as they all stopped in the space cleared where Hawk Moth, Marinette, and Queen Lila along with her guard stood.

The leader who sat astride a snorting chestnut-colored stallion, dismounted and removed his helmet. His hair was longer and golden with sharp blue eyes that were slightly negated to crows feet visible at the corners of his eyes. He could smile, and it seemed he did a lot, but right now, he was not.

Marinette stood stalk still as the man dressed in silvery armor and carried a sword at his side. On his shield still attached to his saddle, a black jaguar snarled and had its claws out.

Lila's face was completely drained of color as she watched the handsome knight approach her with cold fury radiating off of him.

Marinette swallowed and took a step back only to be met with warmth at her back. She doesn't need to look to know it's Chat even before his gloved hand covers one of hers.

"I don't believe it," whispered Emilie from a short distance away from them. She sounded awed and dumbfounded. "He's alive..."

Marinette mumbled, "Who is that?"

"Felix," whispered Emilie. "Prince Felix."

It took Marinette a long moment to think of who he could be. She knew the previous king had had a son named Felix when she was much younger, but after all of the war and conflict that seemed to last longer than anyone could remember, she had assumed when Lila took over that he had either been killed or needed to flee the country. Details were vague.

Felix stopped before Lila, and Marinette watched the knights that had been guarding the queen back away and leave Lila to stand alone. Felix towered over her, and Marinette could sense the tension between the two even from where she stood, and it was like the way the air feels before a thunderstorm starts.

"You've made quite the mess," Felix said in a cold tone that made Marinette shiver. Lila seemed to be feeling similarly because she twitched and kept her eyes down. "If half of the things I heard about what you've done to France are true, you have broken your promise and your commitment to my family. For that, you will be removed from the throne effective immediately."

Lila's jaw dropped. "Excuse me!?" she shrieked, her voice shredding the evening air like Chloé's twin blades.

"Take banishment and be glad I'm not calling for your head," growled Felix, his blue eyes like ice. He turned to Hawk Moth. "We know who you are, Hawk Moth, and you will be seeing the inside of a cell for the rest of your life."

Hawk Moth snarled, but Felix's knights made quick work of binding his hands and carting him off for his cell. He yelled curses the entire way, but Marinette hardly heard as she leaned on Chat, her vision a little foggy around the edges.

She swayed, and had she not been leaning on her cat partner, she would've sprawled face first into the dirt had hands not caught her.

"Marinette!" Emilie's frantic voice is the last thing she caught before blacking out.

~ * ~

She came to staring up at a dark ceiling. She huffed and then grimaced when she shifted her shoulder. She looked down and saw she was wearing a thin shirt that hung off of her wounded shoulder to leave the bandaging exposed. It wasn't the most dignified top, but it was comfortable... and clean. Which could not have been said for her clothes the last week or so.

With everything going on, Marinette had been focused on finding Emilie then dealing with one seeming betrayal then what should've been a more obvious betrayal. Then fighting and being locked in a dungeon. Seeing Chat Noir broken and beaten had been maybe the hardest part of all. Seeing her sweet friend looking as if someone had tossed him down the side of a cliff had broken her heart and made her vengeful at the same time.

Protecting him and her other friends had given her the strength to fight Hawk Moth. 

"Well, good morning, _Princess_ ," purred a voice to her right.

Marinette jumped then cursed as she moved her shoulder again. She turned her head to see a smirking Chat Noir... no, his mask was gone, he was Adrien... 

Either way, he was smirking and looking very Chat-like as he did so. His hair was clean but ruffled with sleep, his skin a much healthier color than it had been in the dungeons. 

However, unlike her, he had not been graced with a shirt to cover his torso. She swallowed and felt her face warm up, seeing his muscled body mostly exposed apart from some bandaging covering his lower sternum to his upper stomach. They effectively hid his gruesome wounds and were hopefully helping them heal, too.

"My eyes are up here, Little Mouse."

Blinking, Marinette raised her rosy cheeks to meet Adrien's green eyes. "Distracted, are we?" His smirk was infuriating. 

She harrumphed and turned her rapidly heating face away from him. "Don't be ridiculous. A little full of yourself, aren't you?"

Adrien chuckled and she heard him shift on his bed. "A little. The leather and wool normally help me look bulky and sculpted. Without them..." He snickered.

Marinette turned her head when she was sure her cheeks weren't burning up as if she spent too much time in the sun. Her eyes narrowed as she met his gaze again. "Maybe you should cover up then." She made sure her own shirt was closed and pulled her blanket over her shoulders.

Adrien grimaced as he sat up. "If my Little Mouse wishes it..."

"I am not _your_ anything," she grumped. "Where are we, anyway?"

Adrien lost his flirtatious attitude and frowned at the closed door. "We're in a room above the doctor's house and practice. Our friends brought us here." He lounged and stretched cautiously with his injuries. "We were worried about you for a bit."

Marinette snorted. "I'm not hurt nearly as badly as you are, Kitty."

The nickname had slipped out, but Adrien's face softened. "I'm fine. Better now that I'm no longer under that monster's thumb, anyway." He relaxed against the mattress, looking boneless like a lazy cat. The bit of sunlight streaming in from the window behind her added to the affect.

Marinette felt her stomach boil with protective rage much like when he was dumped at her feet in the dungeon. She groaned as she sat up. "I'm glad you're free of him, too." She frowned. "He almost killed you, and I was ready to give him the same treatment."

Adrien chuckled. "Such a violent little mouse."

Her cheeks puffed up in suppressed frustrated shrieks. She threw her pillow at him, and Adrien laughed as he caught it. He was such a little snot. Had they not been injured, she would've thrown herself off the bed and ruffled his hair just to spite him.

"Anyway, we should be in bed resting and not worrying about anything else."

"Was anyone else injured?" Marinette asked.

"Other than Rena's black eye, Chloé got a few scratches and bruises." He chuckled. "She met with her father, by the way, and she decided to take her title back only if her father allowed her to help her with decisions regarding their region. She's a tough woman, Chloé is."

Marinette smiled and shook her head, expecting nothing less from the fiery Queen Bee.

Emilie... my mom's okay." He smiled a little. "She visited us last night, and we... we talked. We needed to. She told me all about how your mom died and you went to live with her." He swallowed. "I can't believe she lived almost two years thinking I was dead."

Marinette smiled a little. "I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do."

Adrien nodded and played with his blanket. "The doctor said your care for my stomach wound saved my life." With difficulty, he got up slowly and sat down on the edge of her bed before she could splutter a protest. He took her hand softly and pressed his lips to the back of it.

Her heart nearly burst out of her ribs. The sly cat!

He grinned. "You're amazing... Marinette."

Something about him saying her name like that made her skin tingle. She gulped and spat out, "I'm not that great. I just-"

"You stubbornly traveled across most of France to save your mentor who turned out to be my mom..." Adrien leaned against her head board and ticked off his fingers. "You saved my sorry skin after I clumsily tripped and hurt myself; you trusted me and the other former Akumas even though I know you had reservations about Hawkmoth... which we know now were rightly justified; you brought us together even after Hawkmoth betrayed and hurt a couple of us; and not to mention you faced off with him and beat him... basically by getting him caught. Prince Felix took over the rest." He chuckled. "I guess it was sort of a draw, but Hawkmoth won nothing in the end."

"Except a one-way trip to a prison cell." Marinette smirked, and Adrien laughed as he gently put his hand over hers. His smile was just as radiant as the sunlight coming through the window. She soon joined him, and all felt well with the world.

She felt like she was floating with all of the praise he had bestowed upon her, so she was feeling pretty good despite her faintly throbbing shoulder and sore leg.

Adrien shyly rested his cheek against the crown of her messy black waves and sighed deeply. Marinette leaned on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what this new relationship would bring, but the possibilities seemed endless especially now with Hawkmoth locked up and a new ruler on his way to setting France back into working order. Now that Lila was out of the picture, the future looked even better. A life with her partner was going to be an interesting one to say the least.

And Marinette was ready to face those endless possibilities with Adrien by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it! I'll edit it better later, but I wanted to get this finished and out before Marichat May. (;
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated! :3


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